Suborbital Flights

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  Russia Tests Nuclear-Capable 'Satan II' Missile With 35,000 km Range

  Putin said Sarmat is capable of suborbital flight, giving it a range of more than 35,000 kilometers (21,700 miles) and an extended capability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses.

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  Blue Origin Halts New Shepard Space Tourism for at Least Two Years

  Blue Origin has announced a temporary halt to flights of its New Shepard spacecraft, pausing its suborbital space tourism business for at least two years. The company says the decision will free resources to accelerate development of its Blue Moon lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis programme, including robotic tests and a planned crewed Moon landing...

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  Blue Origin Launches First Wheelchair User to Space and Back

  Blue Origin has made history by launching the first wheelchair user to space and safely returning her to Earth. Aerospace engineer Michi Benthaus flew aboard the company’s New Shepard rocket on a brief suborbital mission. The successful flight highlights expanding access to space as commercial missions increasingly include diverse passengers.

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  Woman Engineer Becomes 1st Wheelchair User To Fly To Space On Blue Origin

  A German woman engineer on Saturday became the first wheelchair user to blast into space, taking a brief ride on a Blue Origin flight.

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  Blue Origin to Fly First Wheelchair User to Space on New Shepard NS-37

  Blue Origin’s upcoming NS-37 mission marks a historic first: sending aerospace engineer Michaela “Michi” Benthaus, a wheelchair user, into space aboard New Shepard. Scheduled for Dec. 18, the flight will take six passengers past the Kármán line for a few minutes of weightlessness, highlighting growing accessibility and inclusion in private ...

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  Freedom From Gravity: How Private Companies Are Reshaping Access To Space

  As India prepares for its first independent human space mission under the Gaganyaan program, the global landscape is witnessing a renaissance in space travel.

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  Blue Origin Sends 750th Human to Space in Landmark Suborbital Flight from Texas

  Blue Origin launched six tourists on its NS-33 mission, sending them past the Kármán Line and marking the 750th human in space. The 10-minute suborbital flight reached 105.2 km before landing safely in West Texas. The crew, dubbed “The Solstice 33,” experienced weightlessness and carried student postcards as part of Blue Origin’s educationa...

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  Katy Perry to Launch on Blue Origin’s First All-Female Spaceflight Mission

  Singer Katy Perry has been confirmed as part of an all-female crew set to launch into space on Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission this spring. The suborbital flight, led by Lauren Sánchez, includes professionals from science, media and aerospace. The reusable New Shepard rocket will carry the team past the Kármán line, offering minutes of weightlessn...

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  Blue Origin Completes 10th Human Spaceflight on New Shepard with Six Passengers

  Blue Origin successfully completed its 10th human spaceflight, launching six passengers aboard the New Shepard rocket from its West Texas facility. The mission, designated NS-30, lasted about 10-12 minutes, giving passengers a few moments of weightlessness. The booster and capsule safely landed, with all parachutes deploying as expected. This fligh...

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  Blue Origin NS-30 Crew Announced: Everything You Need to Know

  Blue Origin has revealed five of the six crew members for its upcoming NS-30 space tourism mission. The confirmed crew includes Lane Bess, Jesús Calleja, Elaine Chia Hyde, Richard Scott, and Tushar Shah. One seat remains unfilled, with the final crew member yet to be disclosed. The flight, launching from West Texas, will provide a brief suborbital...

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  Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-29 Conducts First Lunar Gravity Simulation

  Blue Origin successfully launched its NS-29 mission, marking the first lunar gravity simulation on its New Shepard vehicle. The capsule rotated mid-flight to replicate Moon gravity for research payloads, including NASA-supported experiments on lunar dust behaviour and fire safety. Over half of the 30 payloads focused on Moon-related technologies. T...

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  Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-29 Mission to Test Lunar Gravity Simulation

  Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-29 mission, scheduled for Jan. 28, 2025, will simulate lunar gravity during its suborbital flight. The uncrewed mission, launching from West Texas, carries 30 experiments, with 17 contributed by NASA. These experiments aim to advance lunar exploration technologies, including studying moon dust behaviour, fire dynamics...

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  Blue Origin’s NS-28 Carries the 100th Woman in Space, Makes Safe Landing

  Blue Origin’s NS-28 mission, which launched on 22 November 2024, included six passengers, including Emily Calandrelli, who became the 100th woman to reach space. The ten-minute suborbital journey, reaching an altitude of 106 kilometres, also carried Marc and Sharon Hagle, Austin Litteral, J.D. Russell, and Hank Wolfond.

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  Blue Origin Targets November 22 for Next Space Tourism Flight NS-28

  Blue Origin is set to launch its ninth crewed mission, NS-28, on 22 November from its West Texas facility. The mission will take six passengers to suborbital space, including Emily Calandrelli, an MIT-educated engineer and science communicator, along with seasoned space tourists Marc and Sharon Hagle. The 10–12-minute flight will offer a brief pe...

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  Chinese Company Deep Blue Aerospace Aims to Start Space Tourism by 2027

  Deep Blue Aerospace, based in Jiangsu, China, has announced its intention to enter the space tourism market, planning to launch paying customers into suborbital space by 2027. Tickets will cost approximately $210,000, promising a comprehensive journey beyond a brief weightlessness experience. The reusable rocket-capsule system is similar to Blue Or...