On Nov. 23, Blue Origin announced that the crew of the company’s next flight — NS-19 — scheduled for launch on Dec. 19 will include two special guests.
Laura Shepard Churchley and Michael Strahan will join four customers on the first flight to carry a full manifest of six astronauts.
Churchley is the oldest daughter of Alan Shepard, the first American to fly into space, and Strahan is a co-host on Good Morning America.
They will join space industry executive and philanthropist Dylan Taylor; investor Evan Dick; Bess Ventures founder Lane Bess; and Cameron Bess. Lane and Cameron Bess will become the first parent-child pair to fly in space.
This mission furthers the company’s vision of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. It will be New Shepard’s third human flight this year, the sixth for the program in 2021, and the 19th in its history.
Live launch coverage begins on BlueOrigin.com at T-90 minutes. Liftoff is currently targeted for 9 a.m., CST, Dec. 9, from Launch Site One in West Texas.
Also on board NS-19 will be a postcard from each astronaut flown on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, whose mission is to help future generations pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space. The Club’s Postcards to Space program gives students access to space on Blue Origin’s rockets.