Blue Origin launch – as it happened: William Shatner launched into space on historic flight
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Your support makes all the difference.Blue Origin has launched William Shatner into space aboard its New Shepard rocket.
The Star Trek actor has gone where no 90-year-old has gone before, becoming the oldest person to ever fly to space.
According to a live stream of the historic event, Shatner reached an altitude of roughly 350,000ft and a velocity of about 2,000mph.
The trip lasted about 10 minutes, when the capsule fell back to Earth with a parachute.
The New Shepard NS-18 flight was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was delayed due to windy weather at the Texas launch site.
Shatner is joined on the flight by Blue Origin Vice President Audrey Powers, former Nasa engineer Chris Boshuizen and Medidata CEO Glen de Vries.
It comes less than three months after Jeff Bezos made the same 11-minute trip aboard the first ever crewed New Shepard rocket.
You can read how the launch played out in our live blog below, as well as watch a video of the event at the top of this page.
Blue Origin Crew head up the launch tower
With the crew photo in front of the rocket complete, the crew are now heading up the stairs to the launch tower.
That’s eight flights of stairs, which is no small feat in itself for a 90-year-old. Fortunately Shatner appears to be in great shape and is having no trouble climbing them. Any hopeful space tourists put off by the climb can take heart that SpaceX’s launch tower has its own lift.
Captain Kirk bags the middle seat
It’s not always the most popular seat in the car but it at least has the best view from the back. William Shatner has wound up in the middle seat at the back, allowing him to see the Blue Origin New Shepard NS-18 rocket all ready and prepped on the launch pad.
Jeff Bezos is driving incredibly slowly towards it. Next stop, crew photos and then loading into the capsule.
Blue Origin countdown is back on!
Countdown to launch is back on!
After nearly a half hour wait, everything is set for lift-off and the crew are now on their way to the launchpad.
Blue Origin launch delay continues
It’s been 20 minutes now that the Blue Origin countdown for its New Shepard NS-18 rocket has been on hold.
At least we have a nice sunrise over West Texas to enjoy while we wait.
Blue Origin launch on hold
The Blue Origin launch countdown has been put on hold.
It’s currently stuck at T-45 mins, meaning the four crew members will have to wait in the car with Jeff Bezos until it gets going again.
This is nothing unusual for a launch like this, as a variety of factors all need to line up before it can take place. It appears that this delay is weather related, with the winds in West Texas slightly higher than desired.
We’ll let you know as soon as we have any updates.
Jeff Bezos wishes Blue Origin crew ‘godspeed’ ahead of launch
Blue Origin boss Jeff Bezos will be the only one heading up the launch tower with the crew today.
He’s actually kitted out in a flight suit and is driving the crew to the launch pad.
He’s surely got plenty of advice and tips to give, having made this exact trip just three months ago.
“You’re about to share an experience that will forever change how you view the world,” he tweeted a few minutes ago. “Godspeed. This is how it starts.”
‘Heads we go, tails we don’t'
The Blue Origin crew have completed the coin ceremony, which they’ll put in their flight suit for luck.
Upon receiving his coin, 90-year-old William Shatner quipped: “Heads we go, tails we don’t.”
They’ll now be heading over to the launch pad.
Sun rises over Blue Origin launch pad
The sun is rising over West Texas, and we’re finally getting to see a proper view of the New Shepard rocket.
In a few minutes we should be getting an update from the crew members as they take part in the Blue Origin coin ceremony.
Blue Origin pre-launch schedule
With just one hour to go until Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-18 mission lifts off.
Here’s what to expect over the next half hour:
T-44 mins: Go for astronaut load
T-40 mins: Drive to launch pad
T-38 mins: Ring road crew photo
T-36 mins: Tower ascent
T-31 mins: Crew ingress
T-29 mins: Hatch close
Blue Origin crew set for coin ceremony
William Shatner and the rest of the New Shepard NS-18 crew are currently in the astronaut training facility, preparing for the launch.
They are about to partake in a coin ceremony that Blue Origin hopes to make a tradition for all future space tourism trips.
It will take place at roughly T-54 minutes, and will see crew members presented with these coins, just like Jeff Bezos was ahead of the first ever crewed flight three months ago.
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