Blue Origin Launches NS-34 Mission with 80-Year-Old Passenger

Blue Origin is launching its NS-34 space tourism mission with an 80-year-old passenger, Arvinder "Arvi" Singh Bahal. The mission aims to prove that it's never too late to pursue one's dreams. The launch is being live-streamed.

Blue Origin is set to launch its NS-34 space tourism mission, which will carry an 80-year-old passenger, Arvinder "Arvi" Singh Bahal. The mission, scheduled for August 3, 2023, aims to demonstrate that age is no barrier to pursuing dreams of space exploration. The launch will be live-streamed, allowing the public to witness the historic event.

The NS-34 mission is the 34th overall flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle, marking a significant milestone in the company's space tourism endeavors. The mission will lift off from the company's West Texas spaceport, with a launch window opening at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT; 7:30 a.m. local time in West Texas) [1].

Bahal, a real estate investor and lifelong adventurer, will be accompanied by five other passengers: Gökhan Erdem, a Turkish businessman and photographer; Deborah Martorell, a journalist and meteorologist from Puerto Rico; Lionel Pitchford, an Englishman who has run an orphanage in Nepal for three decades; and American entrepreneur James (J.D.) Russell. All are spaceflight rookies except Russell, who flew on Blue Origin's NS-28 mission in November 2024 [3].

The highest-profile passenger is Justin Sun, a 34-year-old billionaire who founded the blockchain platform Tron. Sun won an auction for a seat aboard the first-ever crewed flight of New Shepard in 2021, donating the $28 million bid to support global youth STEM education [1, 2].

The mission is expected to last approximately 10 to 12 minutes, with passengers experiencing weightlessness as they reach above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, known for its reusability and safety, will be used for the mission.

This mission underscores Blue Origin's commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in space tourism, proving that age should not be a deterrent to pursuing one's dreams. The live-streamed launch will provide an opportunity for the public to witness this historic event and inspire future generations to explore the final frontier.

References:

[1] https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/blue-origin-launch-crypto-billionaire-justin-sun-launch-suborbital-space-ns-34
[2] https://en.coinotag.com/breakingnews/justin-suns-new-shepard-launch-tonight-blue-origin-to-livestream-historic-spaceflight/
[3] https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/indian-american-arvi-bahal-to-fly-to-space-on-jeff-bezoss-blue-origin-rocket/3934982/