Blue Origin readies next launch
March 22, 2022
By Chris Forrester
The next Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin rocket launch was originally currently scheduled for March 23rd.
Following the need for additional ground tests, lift-off is now scheduled for March 29th at 08:30 CDT from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas. It will be the 20th flight for the rocket. The New Shepard version of the rocket will carry six passengers on a sub-orbital flight.
The Blue Origin flight crew was set to include Pete Davidson, a celebrity cast member of Saturday Night Live, but he dropped out last week. His replacement is Blue Origin’s Gary Lai, New Shepard Chief Architect.
Other passengers include Marty Allen who is an angel investor; Sharon Hagle who founded SpaceKids Global in 2015, a nonprofit whose mission is to inspire students; Sharon’s husband Marc Hagle who is president and CEO of Tricor International, a residential and commercial property development corporation; and Jim Kitchen who is a teacher, entrepreneur, and world explorer who has visited all 193 UN-recognised countries.
The sixth crew member is Dr. George Nield who is the president of Commercial Space Technologies, which he founded to encourage, facilitate, and promote commercial space activities. He previously served as associate administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation and was responsible for licensing and regulating all commercial launch activities.