When Is Shatner’s Blue Origin Launch Happening?
The flight with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company was originally scheduled for today but was delayed until tomorrow due to weather concerns. So now, if all goes according to plan, the launch from the spaceport in Van Horn, Texas, will now take place at 9:00 AM PST/ 10:00 AM EST on Wednesday.
Where Can I Watch It?
Blue Origin will broadcast the launch of New Shepard Mission NS-18 on its Youtube channel starting 90 minutes before liftoff. The entire flight will only last about 11 minutes, with passengers reaching an altitude of 62 miles and getting about three minutes of weightlessness. Here’s the live stream:
Can I Go to Space?
Yes, but it will cost you a pretty penny. The likes of Bezos and Richard Branson venturing into privatizing space travel has been talked about for years but the successful journeys over the summer represent one small trip for man but one giant leap for space tourism. Moving forward, it is expected that the possibility of going to space will be available to anyone in the not-so-distant future, assuming they’re willing to foot the bill. Virgin Galactic, which had its inaugural flight this summer, is expected to charge people around $250,000 per seat and Blue Origin has been rumored to have a similar price range. The most affordable ticket may be via space tourism startup World View, which is planning to charge only $50,000 for a seat on their automated 12-hour flights starting in 2024.
