Blue Origin • Jeff Bezos • Space • New Shepard • Wally Funk
Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket and capsule stand atop the company's Launch Site One near Van Horn, Texas ahead of a planned launch of founder Jeff Bezos and three others on July 20, 2021. (Image credit: Blue Origin) Blue Origin has cleared its New Shepard rocket and spacecraft to launch the company's first astronaut flight, NS-16, a mission that will carry billionaire Jeff Bezos and three others to suborbital space and back on Tuesday, July 20. Liftoff is set for 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) . "The vehicle is ready to fly," said Chris Yeager, Blue Origin's chief engineer for New Shepard, in a prelaunch press conference. There are no technical issues with the spacecraft, he added. Click here for more Space.com videos... Blue Origin expects a slight chance of rain early on launch day, but the weather looks like it will clear in time for the planned launch. The company will begin its launch day webcast at 7:30 a.m. EDT (1130 GMT). You can watch that on this ...