First New Zealand in space: Blue Origin sets new standards!

First New Zealand in space: Blue Origin sets new standards!

An exciting day for space history: On May 31, 2023, the Blue Origin rocket New Shepard brought the first New Zealand, Mark Rocket. The start took place from the Blues Origin system in West Texas and thus took a further step into the future of space tourism. The mission, known as NS-32, promoted a total of six passengers via the Kármán line, which is considered a limit to space. The crew reached a remarkable height of 104 kilometers above the earth and enjoyed weightlessness for about three minutes before returning to earth safely.

The trip was not just a personal triumph for Mark Rocket, who has a lot of experience in aerospace as CEO of KEA Aerospace and former head of Rocket Lab. Jaime Alemán, Jesse Williams, Paul Jeris, Gretchen Green and Amy Medina Jorge also accompanied him. It is noteworthy that Jaime Alemán is the first person to visit all 193 countries recognized by the United Nations, while Jesse Williams already climbed Mount Everest and five more of the highest mountains in the world.

climb over the Kármán line

The start of the New Shepard rocket was planned precisely and took place at 8:39 a.m. CDT. After about two and a half minutes, the booster separated from the capsule, which then flew into space. After about ten minutes, the capsule landed gently on a concrete base. For all passengers, the return was a solemn moment, because they were greeted by Blue Origin employees and received astronaut wings who recognize their new status as space tourists.

The Mission NS-32 has already been the 12th manned room flight of Blue Origin since 2021 and the 30th trip over the Kármán line since 2015. This underlines the increasing role of the company in the field of space tourism, a sector that is becoming increasingly important. The aim of Blue Origin is to make space more accessible to private individuals, a series of flights that has proven to be very popular in recent years.

The future of space tourism

space company such as Blue Origin, but also SpaceX, show with their commitment that space tourism has become part of the so -called New Space Economy. So SpaceX plans to achieve a new record in space tourism in 2029, while Blue Origin and Sierra Space want to create a small hotel in space for up to ten guests from 2030. By 2025, only over 100 tourists have already visited space, which shows that interest in such adventurous travel increases, but still remains relatively limited for various reasons, especially the high prices.

Current statistics from 2023 show that only 28% of the respondents are interested in space travel in Germany. These reports arouse questions: What is in the way of private space tourism? The answers are usually financial in nature, because the costs for such trips are between $ 250,000 for a flight with Blue Origin up to $ 55 million for a visit to the international space station with SpaceX. A visit to space remains a privilege of the wealthy for the time being, but with increasing competitive figures this might change soon.

whether Mark Rocket and his crew just started waiting for other adventurers in space? The future looks exciting, and who knows, maybe on the way to a new era of space travel!