Why Blue Origin's NS-33 space tourism mission has been postponed
What's the story
Jeff Bezos's space exploration company, Blue Origin, has postponed its NS-33 mission due to unfavorable weather conditions. The takeoff was originally scheduled for yesterday at the company's launch site in West Texas, US. However, persistent high winds forced the company to postpone the launch and egress the astronauts from their capsules.
Mission details
About the New Shepard rocket
The NS-33 mission, named after the 33rd flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle, was supposed to take off during a launch window that opened at 8:30am EDT (6:00pm IST). The New Shepard is an autonomous, fully reusable vehicle that comprises a first-stage booster and a crew capsule. It offers 10 to 12 minutes of weightlessness with views of Earth against the blackness of space.
Astronauts
Mission to carry 6 people into suborbital space
The NS-33 mission was to take six people into suborbital space. They included conservationists and explorers Allie and Carl Kuehner, philanthropist and beekeeper Leland Larson, entrepreneur Freddie Rescigno Jr, lawyer and author Owolabi Salis, and retired attorney Jim Sitkin. This would have been the company's 13th human spaceflight mission overall, but it is now on hold.
Past missions
A look at Blue Origin's 1st flight
Blue Origin first took humans into space on July 20, 2021, marking the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Bezos and his brother Mark were aboard this historic New Shepard flight with aviation pioneer Wally Funk and Dutch student Oliver Daemen. This was a major milestone in private space exploration and paved the way for future commercial flights like NS-33.