Blue Origin NS-18
Second crewed New Shepard flight, carrying William Shatner to space.
Aisha Bowe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Blue Origin NS-18 was a sub-orbital spaceflight mission operated by Blue Origin that launched on 13 October 2021. It was the eighteenth flight of the company's New Shepard integrated launch vehicle and spacecraft, and the second New Shepard launch to carry passengers. The flight carried four people, including actor William Shatner, and launched from Blue Origin's sub-orbital launch site in West Texas aboard the fourth flight of New Shepard booster NS4 and the spacecraft RSS First Step.
Quick Facts
- Mission Type
- Sub-orbital human spaceflight
- Operator
- Blue Origin
- Mission Duration
- 10 minutes, 17 seconds
- Suborbital Apogee
- 107 km
- Spacecraft
- RSS First Step
- Crew Size
- 4
- Crew Members
- Audrey Powers · Chris Boshuizen · Glen de Vries · William Shatner
- Launch Rocket
- New Shepard (NS4)
- Launch Site
- Corn Ranch, LS-1
- Landing Site
- Corn Ranch
- Insignia Caption
- Blue Origin NS-18 mission patch
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The mission carried four passengers: Blue Origin's vice president of mission and flight operations Audrey Powers, former NASA engineer and third Australian-born person in space Chris Boshuizen, vice chair for life sciences and healthcare at Dassault Systèmes Glen de Vries, and Canadian actor William Shatner. At 90, Shatner became the oldest person to fly into space, surpassing the record of 82 held by Wally Funk since her flight on Blue Origin NS-16 three months earlier. Per Blue Origin, Shatner was a guest of the company and did not pay for the trip. While in space, Shatner experienced the overview effect and articulated it live on camera in a post-flight conversation with Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
Reader's Guide
Blue Origin NS-18 is significant as the second crewed flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard system, demonstrating the company's growing capability in sub-orbital space tourism. The mission gained widespread attention for carrying William Shatner, who at 90 became the oldest person to reach space at that time, a record later surpassed by Ed Dwight on 19 May 2024. The flight also included a diverse set of passengers, including a company executive and a scientist. Chris Boshuizen carried a Star Trek-themed USB drive containing 400 songs submitted via Reddit, which was later auctioned for charity, raising US$8,448 for Musack. The mission underscored the commercial and cultural dimensions of private spaceflight, blending tourism, record-setting, and philanthropy.
Did You Know?
- William Shatner became the oldest person to fly into space at age 90, surpassing Wally Funk's record of 82.
- Chris Boshuizen carried a Star Trek-themed USB drive with 400 songs submitted via Reddit; it was auctioned for US$8,448 for Musack.
- The mission used the same booster (NS4) and spacecraft (RSS First Step) that had flown on NS-14, NS-15, and NS-16.
- Shatner was a guest of Blue Origin and did not pay for the trip.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was on the Blue Origin NS-18 crew?
Four passengers rode on this flight: actor William Shatner, along with Audrey Powers, Chris Boshuizen, and Glen de Vries.
When and where did Blue Origin NS-18 launch?
The mission lifted off on 13 October 2021 from Blue Origin's dedicated sub-orbital launch pad in West Texas.
Which New Shepard hardware flew on NS-18?
Booster NS4, on its fourth flight, carried the spacecraft RSS First Step on its journey above the Kármán line.
Why do fans consider Blue Origin NS-18 a milestone?
As the second New Shepard mission to put people into space, it demonstrated the vehicle could reliably repeat crewed operations after its maiden passenger flight.
Where does NS-18 sit in the overall New Shepard flight record?
It was the eighteenth total New Shepard launch and the second of those to carry a passenger crew, marking the program's shift from testing toward a regular commercial cadence.
More in Suborbital human spaceflights 1-24
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