The launch took place from Launch Site One in West Texas at 6:00 pm (India time), and was live broadcast on Blue Origin’s webcast.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin completed its latest suborbital space tourism flight, NS-34, on a mission carrying India’s Arvinder “Arvi” Singh Bahal, an Agra-born real-estate investor, to the edge of space on Sunday.
Bahal, now a naturalised US citizen, has made it a personal quest to visit every country in the world. He holds both a private pilot’s licence and helicopter training, and his latest journey with Blue Origin is the culmination of a lifetime devoted to exploration and adventure.
The launch took place from Launch Site One in West Texas at 6:00 pm (India time), and was live broadcast on Blue Origin’s webcast, which started 30 minutes before liftoff.
In 17 seconds of ignition, New Shepard cleared the tower, taking the NS-34 crew on their way to the edge of space. Seconds later, the capsule separation was completed successfully as the crew members felt weightlessness.
At 7 minutes and 25 seconds after liftoff, the New Shepard booster landed back on the ground. Neary after another 3 minutes and 30 secons, the capsule landed back on earth, completing a historic journey.
The eleven-minute NS-34 mission saw Bahal, alongside Turkish businessman Gkhan Erdem, Puerto Rican journalist Deborah Martorell, British philanthropist Lionel Pitchford, American entrepreneur JD Russell, and Grenada’s ambassador Justin Sun, soar above the Krmn line—the internationally recognised boundary of space.
With this mission, New Shepard has now launched 75 individuals into space, five of whom have flown on the spacecraft twice.
Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President of New Shepard, reflected on the global representation aboard the flight. “Seeing participants from multiple countries come together is always inspiring. There’s something profoundly unifying about viewing Earth from above — it changes perspectives in a way few other experiences can,” he said.
