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Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin targeting May 31 for 12th space tourism launch

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The launch window opens at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday (May 31).

a white rocket launches into a blue desert 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 12th human spaceflight mission will launch this weekend, if all goes according to plan.

Blue Origin, which was founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, announced on Tuesday (May 27) that it's targeting Saturday (May 31) for its next crewed suborbital flight.

That mission — called NS-32, because it will be the 32nd overall mission of the reusable New Shepard vehicle — will lift off from Blue Origin's West Texas site during a window that opens at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT; 8:30 a.m. local Texas time). Blue Origin will stream the action live, beginning 30 minutes before liftoff.

headshots of six people — two women and four men — with their names beneath them.

The passengers for Blue Origin's upcoming NS-32 suborbital spaceflight. (Image credit: Blue Origin)

NS-32 will carry six people to suborbital space and back, on a flight that will last a total of 10 to 12 minutes.

Those passengers are Panamanian businessman and attorney Jaime Alemán, who served as that nation's ambassador to the United States; radiologist, life coach and explorer Gretchen Green; entrepreneur and real estate developer Paul Jeris; award-winning middle school and high school teacher Aymette Medina Jorge; the aptly named Mark Rocket, an entrepreneur from New Zealand; and Canadian entrepreneur, adventurer and mountaineer Jesse Williams.

You can learn more about all six in Blue Origin's NS-32 crew reveal update.

Related stories:

— Mark Rocket, a former ambassador and more: Blue Origin reveals passengers for 12th space tourism launch

— Facts about New Shepard, Blue Origin's rocket for space tourism

— Katy Perry and Gayle King launch to space with 4 others on historic all-female Blue Origin rocket flight

Blue Origin's first-ever crewed spaceflight took place on July 20, 2021, the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Bezos himself flew on that mission, along with his brother Jeff, aviation pioneer Wally Funk and Dutch student Oliver Daemen.

The company has flown a number of celebrities on its crewed missions, including famed "Star Trek" actor William Shatner in October 2021 and pop star Katy Perry just last month.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

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.

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