Blue Origin: completed the 31st space mission with New Shepard
Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos, has successfully completed the 31st mission of the New Shepard rocket, also marking the 11th manned flight under its space program.
Blue Origin's NS-31 mission, carried out on April 14, 2025, lifted off from the Launch Site One launch site, located at Corn Ranch near Van Horn, Texas. The suborbital flight lasted a total of 10 minutes and 21 seconds, during which the RSS Kármán Line capsule reached a maximum altitude of 106 kilometers, passing the Kármán line, commonly recognized as the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and space.
During the flight, the crew experienced about three minutes of weightlessness, floating inside the capsule and observing Earth from space. At the end of the mission, both the rocket and the capsule successfully returned: the rocket landed vertically on a dedicated platform, while the capsule made a soft landing in the Texas desert, slowed down by parachutes.
On board the capsule, six extraordinary women from different worlds but united by a strong visionary spirit: Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez, who helped bring the crew together.
With this launch, the New Shepard program has officially taken 58 people into space, including four who have flown before. Flight NS-31 lifted off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Monday, April 14, with the launch window open from 8:30 a.m. CDT (1:30 p.m. UTC).
On the occasion of the mission, Blue Origin also presented the official patch of the NS-31, enriched with symbols representing the path, mission and legacy of each of the participants:
- The target star represents the great ambitions and passion for STEM of Aisha Bowe, a former NASA aerospace engineer, now an entrepreneur and promoter of science education.
- The scales of justice are dedicated to Amanda Nguyễn, civil rights activist and founder of Rise, a symbol of determination and social change.
- The microphone in the shape of a shooting star pays homage to Gayle King, journalist and presenter committed to giving voice to the stories that matter in the world of information.
- The fireworks celebrate the global impact of Katy Perry, a world-renowned artist, pop icon and philanthropist.
- The film pays homage to the passion for visual storytelling and storytelling of Kerianne Flynn, filmmaker and producer.
- Flynn the Fly, the protagonist of Lauren Sánchez's children's book The Fly Who Flew to Space, symbolically took part in the flight. The character tells a story of courage and overcoming difficulties, inspiring children with learning disabilities to believe in their dreams.
"It was a privilege to witness the departure of this extraordinary crew of pioneers," said Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President of New Shepard. "Each of these women is a storyteller, and will use their voices - individually and collectively - to turn this experience into a source of inspiration that will have a lasting impact on generations of people around the world."
A symbolic, powerful mission that goes far beyond the boundaries of the Earth's atmosphere: a flight to the stars that speaks of the future, inclusion and change with an entirely female crew.
By the editorial staff, Avion Luxury Magazine
Text source and photo: Copyright © Blue Origin Press
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