Updated Jan. 22, 2026, 6:10 a.m. ET
- The suborbital flight will carry six passengers to the edge of space for an approximately 11-minute journey.
- Passengers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see views of Earth from over 60 miles high.
- The launch will be livestreamed on Blue Origin’s website and social media channels.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will soon launch a rocket from West Texas bearing six lucky passengers who will become the latest to ride to the edge of space.
Awaiting them more than 60 miles high is a stunning view of Earth few have ever witnessed, as well as a few moments of microgravity that allows them to float weightless throughout the spacecraft. And when they land back on solid ground, the space tourists will join an exclusive club of celebrities, business leaders and others who have experienced the brief celestial journey.
Bezos’ spaceflight company has been offering the cosmic joy rides aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket since the billionaire Amazon founder was part of the maiden crewed voyage in 2021.
Most of us can only dream of such an experience, but there is a small consolation: Blue Origin will, as usual, provide a livestream of its first spaceflight of 2026 that you can watch from home.
Here’s everything to know about the next Blue Origin launch, including how to watch it live.
When is the next Blue Origin rocket launch?
Blue Origin is working toward a Thursday, Jan. 22, launch of its New Shepard rocket. The spacecraft is targeted to get off the ground at 9:30 a.m. ET from the company’s private ranch facility known as Launch Site One in Texas, located near the U.S.-Mexico border, the company announced.
A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed.
Follow Blue Origin live coverage
Blue Origin will provide a webcast of the launch beginning about 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled liftoff on its website and on social media site X.
Who is the crew of NS-38?
When the New Shepard gets off the ground again, the six people selected to board it will join 86 others who have flown on the spacecraft across 16 previous human spaceflights, including six repeat passengers. The spaceflight, known as NS-38, will also be New Shepard’s 38th flight overall.
Oklahoma native Andrew Yaffe, who was among the original passengers selected for the crew, had to drop out of the mission due to an illness and will be part of a future flight, Blue Origin said Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Here’s a look at the passengers:
- Tim Drexler, the former owner and CEO of Ace Asphalt and a private aviator
- Linda Edwards, a retired board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and survivor of breast cancer
- Alain Fernandez, an international real estate developer and investor
- Alberto Gutiérrez, an entrepreneur and avid traveler founded Civitatis, which offers guides tours around the world
- Jim Hendren, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and former F-15 fighter pilot who served in multiple overseas combat deployments, as well as a former state senator in Arkansas
- Laura Stiles, Blue Origin’s Director of New Shepard Launch Operations
Does Jeff Bezos own Blue Origin?
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, best known for founding Amazon, founded the private space technology company Blue Origin in 2000. Headquartered in Washington state, Blue Origin conducts tests and launches of its small New Shepard spacecraft from West Texas.
Bezos even boarded Blue Origin’s New Shepard for its maiden crewed voyage in July 2021, which came after the spacecraft flew on 15 flight tests beginning in 2012.
What is New Glenn?
The smaller, suborbital New Shepard vehicle is not to be confused with Blue Origin’s towering orbital New Glenn rocket that has now launched twice from Florida. The 322-foot spacecraft, one of the largest active rockets in the world, last got off the ground Nov. 13 on a mission to propel twin NASA ESCAPADE satellites on a voyage to Mars.
While New Shepard is designed for quick trips to space, New Glenn is indicative of Blue Origin’s aim to compete with billionaire Elon Musk‘s SpaceX – whose fleet of Falcon 9 rockets dominates the commercial space industry.
What happens during a New Shepard rocket launch?
Each spaceflight on a New Shepard vehicle lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown.
Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the 60-foot-tall New Shepard rocket is topped with the gum drop-shaped crew capsule. The spacecraft operates completely autonomously, meaning no pilots are aboard.
During its ascent, the spacecraft reaches supersonic speeds surpassing 2,000 mph before the rocket booster separates from the crew capsule. At that point, the capsule becomes weightless as the spacecraft continues toward its highest point on its brief voyage above the Kármán Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space.
Passengers will at this time experience a few minutes of microgravity after they unstrap themselves from their seats to gaze out the capsule’s large windows and take in a stunning view of Earth.
Meanwhile, the rocket booster heads back to the ground while firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent to land vertical about two miles from the launchpad.
The capsule itself eventually begins what Blue Origin refers to as a “stable freefall” – plummeting back to Earth as three massive parachutes deploy and the capsule makes a soft landing in the desert, sending up plumes of dust.
How much does it cost to ride Blue Origin?
If you have dreams of blasting off to orbit on a Blue Origin spacecraft, you likely need to either have very deep pockets or a name that’s recognizable enough to get you invited as an honored guest.
Though Blue Origin does not publicly list prices on its website, a form to reserve a seat requires customers to agree to a $150,000 deposit.
And if the price of the first ticket sold for a Blue Origin spaceflight in 2021 is any indicator, seats likely cost millions of dollars. The $28 million ticket price was the winning bid in an auction that included 7,600 people registered to bid from 159 countries.
However, a select few passengers over the years have had their seats aboard New Shepard paid through grants and other funding methods from large institutions.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
