spacetoday.net: Blue Origin launches Shatner, three others on second crewed New Shepard flight

Posted: Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 6:02 PM ET (2202 GMT)
New Shepard NS-18 launch, October 2021 (Blue Origin)

Blue Origin launched four people, including Star Trek actor William Shatner, on a suborbital flight Wednesday. The New Shepard vehicle lifted off from the company's West Texas site at 10:49 am EDT (1449 GMT), reaching a peak altitude of 107 kilometers before landing a little more than 10 minutes after liftoff. This was the second crewed flight of New Shepard, after a July flight that carried company founder Jeff Bezos and three others. Shatner was exuberant after his flight, offering a long description of the experience to Bezos. Also on the flight were entrepreneurs Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries, and Blue Origin vice president Audrey Powers.