Blue Origin successfully launches New Shepard NS-37 manned mission

TEXAS — After having to scrub its initial launch date on Thursday, Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard NS-37 mission from its Launch Site One pad in West Texas on Saturday morning.

The launch had been rescheduled earlier in the week after Blue Origin’s launch team “observed an issue with built-in checks prior to flight,” Tabitha Lipkin, of Blue Origin’s communications team, said. 

The mission sent up six new astronauts into space going beyond the Kármán line, the internationally established edge of space at 62 miles/100 kilometers above Earth’s surface.

Blue Origin released the mission patch prior to the launch, which includes a nod to each of the travelers. 

According to the Blue Origin website, a few of the symbols embedded include:

• The DNA symbolizes the importance and impact of science to Neal Milch. 
• The hippo represents Michaela (Michi) Benthaus’ favorite animal. Her plush hippo, which comforted her in the hospital after an accident, will join her in space. The tennis ball symbolizes another of Michi’s competitive passions. She is set to be the first wheelchair-bound person in space. 
• A baobab tree, iconic to South Africa, represents Adonis Pouroulis’ roots. 
• A spiral galaxy symbolizes Joey Hyde’s astrophysics research. 
• A dog-bone shape, stars in the crew capsule windows representing the number 201 and “K” are in all memoriam of Jason Stansell’s brother. 
• The shards are intended to illustrate Blue Origin’s commitment to breaking down the barriers to accessing space, including cost, nationality and ability.  

Mission NS-37 marked the first manned mission since Oct. 8. 

The New Shepard spacecraft, named for pioneering Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard who was the first American in space, is a fully reusable, suborbital rocket system that takes passengers on an 11-minute journey to the Kármán line.