On Saturday, an accomplished German female engineer achieved a historic milestone, becoming the inaugural wheelchair occupant to venture into the cosmos, embarking on a brief sojourn aboard a Blue Origin expedition.
The celestial exploration venture, spearheaded by the aerospace firm of American magnate Jeff Bezos, commenced its New Shepard suborbital trajectory promptly at 8:15 am (1415 GMT) from its operational hub in Texas.
Michaela Benthaus, a distinguished aerospace and mechatronics specialist affiliated with the European Space Agency, was counted among the intrepid voyagers who successfully traversed the Karman line – the universally acknowledged demarcation of space – during the approximately 10-minute celestial transit.
Benthaus’s mobility is now facilitated by a wheelchair, a consequence of a spinal cord injury sustained during a mountain biking mishap.
“Subsequent to my accident, I gained a profound, indeed acute, awareness of the pervasive inaccessibility that characterizes our world for individuals with disabilities,” she articulated in a video statement disseminated by the enterprise.
“To cultivate a truly inclusive society necessitates our commitment to inclusivity across all spheres of existence, not merely those we find convenient or desirable,” Benthaus further emphasized.
The compact, fully autonomous rocket executed a vertical ascent, followed by the detachment of the passenger capsule mid-flight, before its gradual and gentle descent back to the Texan terrain, decelerated by deployed parachutes.
This marked the sixteenth manned voyage for Blue Origin, a company that has, for an extended period, provided space tourism opportunities – the financial outlay for which remains undisclosed – utilizing its New Shepard launch vehicle.
“Heartfelt congratulations, Michi! You have just galvanized millions to gaze skyward and envision the boundless possibilities that await,” commended Jared Isaacman, the new administrator of NASA, via a statement issued on X.
A considerable number of individuals have previously undertaken space journeys with Blue Origin, including luminaries such as pop artist Katy Perry and veteran actor William Shatner, renowned for his portrayal of the iconic Captain Kirk in the “Star Trek” franchise.
These high-profile participants are strategically enlisted to sustain public engagement with these flights, particularly during an era of intense competition among private space exploration entities vying for market dominance.
Virgin Galactic offers a comparable suborbital flight experience, providing an alternative for aspiring space tourists.
However, Blue Origin harbors aspirations to rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX within the more demanding domain of orbital flight endeavors.
This calendar year has witnessed the successful execution of two uncrewed orbital missions by the Bezos-backed corporation, utilizing their formidable New Glenn rocket, a craft possessing significantly greater propulsion capabilities than the New Shepard.
