Blue Origin NS-16 explained

Blue Origin NS-16
Mission Type:Crewed sub-orbital spaceflight
Operator:Blue Origin
Mission Duration:10 minutes, 10 seconds
Spacecraft:RSS First Step
Manufacturer:Blue Origin
Crew Size:4
Launch Date:20 July 2021, 13:11 UTC
Launch Rocket:New Shepard (NS4)
Launch Site:Corn Ranch, LS-1
Launch Contractor:Blue Origin
Landing Date:20 July 2021, 13:21 UTC
Landing Site:Corn Ranch
Insignia:NS-16 logo.png
Insignia Caption:Blue Origin NS-16 mission patch
Insignia Alt:A ground-level view looking up towards a launch vehicle landing
Insignia Size:200px
Crew Photo Size:300px
Programme:New Shepard crewed flights
Next Mission:Blue Origin NS-18
Programme2:New Shepard flights
Previous Mission2:Blue Origin NS-15
Next Mission2:Blue Origin NS-17

Blue Origin NS-16 was a sub-orbital spaceflight mission operated by Blue Origin which flew on 20 July 2021.[1] The mission was the sixteenth flight of the company's New Shepard integrated launch vehicle and spacecraft, and its first crewed flight. It carried into space American billionaire and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, pilot and Mercury 13 member Wally Funk, and Dutch student Oliver Daemen. The flight commenced from Blue Origin's Corn Ranch sub-orbital launch site in West Texas aboard the third flight of New Shepard booster NS4 and the spacecraft RSS First Step, both having previously flown on NS-14 and NS-15 earlier in the year.[2] [3]

Blue Origin NS-16 was the first human spaceflight from the U.S. state of Texas. Daemen, aged 18, and Funk, aged 82, became the youngest and oldest people to travel to space, respectively, until William Shatner took the record of oldest in space at age 90 on NS-18.[4] [5] The flight was approximately 10 minutes, and crossed the Kármán Line. The mission became the first fully automated flight with civilian passengers,[6] as well as the first multi-person, internationally-recognized sub-orbital spaceflight.

Crew

Four crewmembers flew on Blue Origin NS-16.[4] [7] Originally, the anonymous winner (later revealed as Justin Sun[8]) of a US$28 million auction held by Blue Origin in support of its Club for the Future program was to be the fourth crewmember on RSS First Step.[7] [9] However, the anonymous winner had unspecified scheduling conflicts and was re-manifested for a future New Shepard flight; Oliver Daemen took the vacated position.[10] [11] Oliver's father Joes Daemen, the CEO of private equity firm Somerset Capital Partners, paid for the fourth seat; Joes had come second in the auction for the seat, so after the auction winner (Justin Sun) did not take the seat, it was passed onto Joes, who paid for the seat and gave it to Oliver.[12] [13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Blue Origin successfully sends Jeff Bezos and three others to space and back. The Verge. 20 July 2021. 20 July 2021.
  2. Web site: Burghardt. Thomas. Blue Origin tests New Shepard capsule upgrades on NS-14 mission. NASASpaceFlight.com . 14 January 2021. 12 July 2021.
  3. Web site: Smith. Marcia. Dress Rehearsal Puts Blue Origin Closer to Human Spaceflight. Space Policy Online. 14 April 2021. 12 July 2021.
  4. News: Blue Origin launches Bezos on first crewed New Shepard flight. Foust. Jeff. SpaceNews. 20 July 2021. 20 July 2021.
  5. Web site: Etherington. Darrell. Blue Origin's final passenger for its first human spaceflight will be 18-year-old Oliver Daemen. TechCrunch. 15 July 2021. 15 July 2021.
  6. Web site: Howell. Elizabeth. Blue Origin launch will be the 1st fully automated flight with civilian astronauts: report . Space.com. 18 July 2021. 20 July 2021.
  7. Web site: Bartels. Meghan. Blue Origin will fly female aviator Wally Funk, one of the Mercury 13, on 1st crewed launch. Space.com. 1 July 2021. 12 July 2021.
  8. Web site: Crypto entrepreneur to go to space on New Shepard. 23 December 2021.
  9. Web site: Sheetz . Michael. Blue Origin auctions seat on first spaceflight with Jeff Bezos for $28 million. CNBC. 12 June 2021. 12 July 2021.
  10. Web site: Roulette. Joey. Blue Origin picks teen to fly to space after anonymous auction winner reschedules . The Verge. 15 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210715145620/https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/15/22578356/blue-origin-new-shepard-teen-jeff-bezos-space-anonymous-auction. 15 July 2021. 15 July 2021 . Daemen's seat had been reserved for the winner of a $28 million auction that closed last month, but that winner remains anonymous and "has chosen to fly on a future New Shepard mission due to scheduling conflicts", a news release said.. live.
  11. Web site: Sheetz. Michael. Blue Origin reveals 18-year-old physics student will fly with Jeff Bezos to space next week . CNBC. 15 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210715145618/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/15/blue-origin-reveals-oliver-daemen-flying-to-space-with-jeff-bezos.html. 15 July 2021. 15 July 2021. The young physics student takes the place of the auction winner, who Blue Origin said could not fly on the mission "due to scheduling conflicts". Blue Origin said the auction winner "has chosen to fly on a future New Shepard mission".. live.
  12. Web site: Meet Oliver Daemen, the Dutch teenager who will fly to space with Jeff Bezos after his hedge fund dad paid millions for the ticket . Business Insider. 20 July 2021.
  13. Web site: Todisco. Eric . Oliver Daemen: 5 Things To Know About The 18-Year-Old Who Went To Space With Jeff Bezos. Hollywood Life. 20 July 2021. 20 July 2021.

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