Blue Origin flew Michaela Benthaus, a wheelchair-using German aerospace engineer, on a roughly 10-minute New Shepard suborbital mission that reached just over 65 miles, giving her minutes of microgravity and panoramic views of Earth's curvature. Assisted by former SpaceX engineer Hans Koenigsmann, she boarded using a bench fitted to the capsule hatch and was helped out after landing. The flight—Blue Origin's 16th passenger New Shepard mission—highlights advances in accessibility for commercial spaceflight and raises practical questions about emergency procedures for astronauts with disabilities on longer missions.
Blue Origin Flies Wheelchair-Using Engineer to Edge of Space, Spotlighting Accessibility
German aerospace engineer and handicap advocate Michaela Benthaus greets well wishers and Blue Origin support personnel moments after being carried from the New Shepard spacecraft. / Credit: Blue Origin webcast
Blue Origin launched Michaela Benthaus, a German aerospace engineer who uses a wheelchair after a 2018 spinal cord injury, on a roughly 10-minute New Shepard suborbital flight that reached just over 65 miles above Earth. The mission gave her several minutes of microgravity and underscored questions and progress around accessibility in commercial spaceflight.
The New Shepard spacecraft blasts off from Blue Origin's West Texas launch site. / Credit: Blue Origin webcast
The Flight
The launch from Blue Origin's West Texas pad lifted off at 9:15 a.m. EST after a two-day delay for final technical checks. The single-stage booster accelerated to nearly three times the speed of sound before the hydrogen-fueled BE-3 engine shut down about two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff. The crew capsule separated and coasted to a peak altitude slightly above 65 miles, where the passengers experienced microgravity and took in the dramatic curved horizon and black sky visible from that altitude.
The reusable New Shepard booster executed an on-target landing after propelling the New Shepard capsule out of the lower atmosphere. / Credit: Blue Origin webcast
Boarding and In-Flight Assistance
Benthaus transferred herself from her wheelchair into the New Shepard capsule by scooting along a bench fitted to the hatch by Blue Origin. She received hands-on support during training and inside the capsule from Hans Koenigsmann, a former SpaceX manager and engineer who helped arrange her flight after meeting her last year. Koenigsmann was strapped in nearby and ready to assist during the flight if needed.
The New Shepard capsule touched down about 10-and-a-half minutes after liftoff. / Credit: Blue Origin webcase
Benthaus said in a Blue Origin interview that she met Koenigsmann online and asked whether people with her disability could become astronauts. Koenigsmann reached out to Blue Origin and helped make the trip possible.
Experience and Recovery
After engine cutoff and capsule separation, the crew unstrapped briefly and floated in microgravity; Benthaus' legs were secured together for safety. During descent the crew was told to return to their seats and buckle up before atmospheric deceleration, which can reach about five times the pull of gravity for New Shepard passengers. The booster performed a powered vertical landing near the launch gantry, while the capsule touched down under three large parachutes. Recovery teams quickly assisted the passengers; Benthaus was carried out last and transferred to a nearby wheelchair.
The Blue Origin NS-37 passengers, posing for a photo on the launch pad gantry. Left to right: Joey Hyde, Adonis Pouroulis, Hans Koenigsmann, Michaela Benthaus, Jason Stansell and Neal Milch. / Credit: Blue Origin
Passengers, Cost, And Significance
Along with Benthaus and Koenigsmann were physicist-investor Joey Hyde, entrepreneur Neal Milch, adventurer Jason Stansell and mining engineer Adonis Pouroulis. Blue Origin does not publicly list seat prices; industry reports estimate New Shepard seats at roughly $500,000 or more. The company and Benthaus did not disclose how her seat was financed.
Why This Matters
Benthaus is believed to be the first person with a significant physical disability to travel to space. The flight highlights both the growing inclusivity of commercial suborbital tourism and the practical questions that remain for longer-duration missions and emergency evacuations involving crew members with disabilities. Benthaus said she hopes the mission will help open space to more people with disabilities and emphasized the value such individuals bring to teams: resilience and perspective gained from overcoming challenges.
Saturday's mission was Blue Origin's 16th New Shepard flight carrying passengers since the company began crewed hops in 2021, bringing Blue Origin's total number of people flown to space to 92, including repeat fliers.
