Blue Origin targeting Nov. 22 for next space tourism launch

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'Space Gal' Emily Calandrelli is one of six passengers on the suborbital mission, which is known as NS-28.

a white rocket launches into a blue sky
Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle launches on the NS-25 crewed suborbital mission, on May 19, 2024 (Image credit: Blue Origin)

Blue Origin's ninth crewed spaceflight will lift off this week, if all goes according to plan.

Jeff Bezos' aerospace company announced today (Nov. 18) that it's targeting Friday (Nov. 22) for the launch of NS-28, which will send "Space Gal" Emily Calandrelli and five other people to suborbital space.

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket-capsule combo will lift off from the company's West Texas spaceport on Friday during a window that opens at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT; 9:30 a.m. local Texas time). You can watch the action live here at Space.com courtesy of Blue Origin, or directly via the company; the webcast will begin 30 minutes before liftoff.

The six crewmembers for NS-28, Blue Origin's next suborbital space tourism mission. (Image credit: Blue Origin)

The crewmembers of NS-28 are Calandrelli, an MIT-educated engineer, science communicator and best-selling author; married couple Marc and Sharon Hagle; Austin Litteral, who won his seat via a giveway sponsored by the shopping platform Whatnot; entrepreneur James (J.D.) Russell; and businessman Henry (Hank) Wolfond.

Related: 'The Space Gal' Emily Calandrelli opens up about her coming Blue Origin flight (interview)

The Hagles are repeat New Shepard customers, having flown together on NS-20 in March 2022. Sharon founded the education nonprofit SpaceKids Global, which is making an event out of NS-28: The "SpaceKids Global Press Squad," a group of eight students, ranging in age from eight to 12, will report on the flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and will get a tour of Blue Origin's facilities there.

You can learn more about the six NS-28 passengers in our crew reveal story.

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As its name suggests, NS-28 will be the 28th New Shepard launch overall. It will be the ninth crewed mission for the autonomous suborbital system.

New Shepard flights last 10 to 12 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown. Blue Origin has not revealed how much it charges for the experience, which affords customers a few minutes of weightlessness and gives them views of Earth against the blackness of space.

The company's chief competitor in the suborbital space tourism business, Virgin Galactic, has publicized its ticket price: $600,000 per seat. Virgin Galactic isn't flying customers at the moment, however; it's building a new fleet of "Delta-class" space planes, which are expected to enter commercial service in 2026.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 7:45 p.m. ET on Nov. 18 to provide Virgin Galactic's correct ticket price: it's $600,000, not $450,000.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.