Blue Origin to Fly First Wheelchair User Into Space

Blue Origin is set to make spaceflight history Thursday, sending the first person who uses a wheelchair beyond the Kármán line — the internationally recognized edge of space — on its next New Shepard mission.

The suborbital flight will carry aerospace engineer Michaela "Michi" Benthaus and five other passengers more than 62 miles above Earth aboard a reusable New Shepard rocket launching from West Texas. Benthaus, who sustained a spinal cord injury in a mountain biking accident, has since become a leading advocate for expanded access to space.

Benthaus works with the European Space Agency and has focused her career on international scientific cooperation and future interplanetary exploration.

Following her 2018 injury, she continued pursuing space-related research and training, including a Zero-G flight in 2022 and participation in an astronaut analog mission simulating space conditions on Earth. She also remains active in adaptive sports, including wheelchair tennis.

The mission, designated NS-37, will mark Blue Origin's 16th human spaceflight. To date, the company has flown 86 people — 80 individuals — past the Kármán line. Blue Origin says its fully reusable New Shepard system reduces costs, maintenance needs, and waste compared to traditional launch vehicles.

Joining Benthaus on the flight are:

-Joel Hyde, a physicist, quantitative investor, and retired hedge fund partner whose interest in space began after witnessing a Space Shuttle launch in 1988.

-Hans Koenigsmann, a veteran aerospace engineer and former SpaceX executive known for his work on reusable rocket technology.

-Neal Milch, a business executive and board chair at Jackson Laboratory, where he promotes genetic research and medical innovation.

-Adonis Pouroulis, a mining engineer and entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience in energy and natural resources.

-Jason Stansell, a West Texas native and computer science graduate whose flight is in honor of his late brother, Kevin, who died from brain cancer in 2016.

Unlike orbital missions conducted by NASA or SpaceX, New Shepard flights are suborbital, offering a brief but powerful spaceflight experience. The entire mission lasts about 10 to 12 minutes, including several minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth.

Liftoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET Thursday from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas.

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