Blue Origin Continues to Make Space More Accessible to the Public with its Latest Suborbital Flight...

Blue Origin

New Shepard Completes 37th Mission (News Release - December 20)

Blue Origin successfully launched the 37th flight of the New Shepard program. The crew included: Michaela (Michi) Benthaus, Joey Hyde, Hans Koenigsmann, Neal Milch, Adonis Pouroulis and Jason Stansell. This mission marked the first time a wheelchair user has flown above the Kármán Line, the internationally-recognized boundary of space. Including the latest crew, New Shepard has now flown 92 people (86 individuals) into space.

“NS-37 marks our ninth flight of the year and sets the stage for an increase in New Shepard flight rate in 2026 and beyond,” said Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President of New Shepard. “This crew exemplifies the breadth and diversity of people who can now experience spaceflight, from engineers and scientists to entrepreneurs, teachers and investors from all over the world. Each brings their unique perspective and passion for exploration. Michi's flight is particularly meaningful, demonstrating that space is for everyone, and we are proud to help her achieve this dream.”

New Shepard was designed with accessibility in mind. The vehicle is autonomous and features elevator access on the launch tower, making spaceflight accessible to a wider range of people. Including the latest flight, New Shepard has flown astronauts who are wheelchair users, hard of hearing, have limited mobility or limb differences, have low vision, or are legally blind.

Key mission statistics:

Official Launch Time: 8:15:00 AM CST / 14:15:00 UTC

Booster Apogee: 346,386 ft AGL / 350,033 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)

Crew Capsule Apogee: 346,775 ft AGL / 350,422 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)

Crew Capsule Landing Time: 8:25:26 AM CDT / 14:25:26 UTC

Mission Elapsed Time: 10 minutes, 26 seconds

Source: Blue Origin

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Space is for everyone. pic.twitter.com/OUs4V2LURA

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) December 20, 2025