{"id":17070,"date":"2025-12-20T18:17:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T10:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/blue-origin-breaks-the-accessibility-barrier-by-sending-the-first-wheelchair-user-to-space\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T18:17:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T10:17:27","slug":"blue-origin-breaks-the-accessibility-barrier-by-sending-the-first-wheelchair-user-to-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/blue-origin-breaks-the-accessibility-barrier-by-sending-the-first-wheelchair-user-to-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Origin breaks the accessibility barrier by sending the first wheelchair user to space"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1260\" height=\"888\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/251220-michi1-1260x888.jpg\" alt=\"Michaela Benthaus spreads her arms as she sits in a wheelchair outside the Blue Origin crew capsule\" class=\"wp-image-906146\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/251220-michi1-1260x888.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/251220-michi1-768x542.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/251220-michi1.jpg 1370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">German engineer Michaela Benthaus celebrates after her suborbital space trip. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jeff Bezos\u2019&nbsp;Blue Origin&nbsp;space venture added a page to the space history books today by sending the first wheelchair user into space.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the coolest experience,\u201d said  Michaela \u201cMichi\u201d Benthaus, a German-born aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency who sustained a spinal cord injury in a mountain biking accident in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin\u2019s suborbital New Shepard rocket ship lifted off from the company\u2019s Launch Site One in West Texas at 8:15 a.m. CT (6:15 a.m. PT). <\/p>\n<p>An initial launch attempt had been called off on Thursday because the flight team \u201cobserved an issue with our built-in checks prior to flight,\u201d Blue Origin said. It didn\u2019t provide further details about the issue, but today\u2019s countdown went off without a hitch.<\/p>\n<p>This was the 37th New Shepard mission, and the 16th to carry humans on a brief ride above the 100-kilometer (62-mile) altitude level that marks the internationally accepted boundary of space. Eighty-six people, including Bezos himself, have now flown on New Shepard. Six have gone multiple times.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Blue Origin NS-37 New Shepard launch and landing\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ag71rnLxJ44?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Benthaus was one of six crew members on today\u2019s mission, known as NS-37. In a 2023 interview published by the Technical University of Munich, she said she set her mind on becoming an astronaut when she was 10 years old.<\/p>\n<p>When Benthaus lost the use of her legs, she initially thought her flight into space \u201cwas never going to happen.\u201d But in 2022, her hopes got a big boost when she experienced a zero-G flight arranged through AstroAccess, a project that\u2019s dedicated to paving the way for spacefliers with disabilities. Last year, she was the commander of an analog space mission conducted at the Lunares Research Station in Poland. <\/p>\n<p>Now the 33-year-old has blazed a new trail for space access. \u201cYou should never give up on your dreams,\u201d she said after today\u2019s flight.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a post to the X social-media platform that the mission marked \u201canother step toward making spaceflight accessible for everyone.\u201d Phil Joyce, Blue Origin\u2019s senior vice president for the New Shepard program, said in a mission recap that \u201cMichi\u2019s flight is particularly meaningful, demonstrating that space is for everyone, and we are proud to help her achieve this dream.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p>Kent, Wash.-based Blue Origin has been working for several years to improve accessibility at its launch facility in Texas \u2014 for example, by adding an elevator to the seven-story launch tower. A business resource group named New Hawking, in honor of the late wheelchair-using physicist Stephen Hawking, helped lead the way. Blue Origin says it has previously flown people who are hard of hearing, have limited mobility or limb differences, have low vision or are legally blind.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin didn\u2019t need to make significant modifications in the New Shepard crew capsule for today\u2019s flight. But launch commentator Joel Eby said the mission team made \u201ca few ground system improvements,\u201d such as providing a bench that Benthaus could use to get into and out of the capsule with assistance from others.<\/p>\n<p>During their 10-minute flight, Benthaus and the rest of the crew rose to an altitude of 106 kilometers (65.7 miles). They experienced a few minutes of zero-gravity and views of a curving Earth against the blackness of space. At the end of the mission, the booster made an autonomous landing not far from the launch pad, while the crew capsule descended to a parachute-assisted touchdown in the West Texas desert.<\/p>\n<p>Afterward, Benthaus said she enjoyed the ride. \u201cI tried to turn upside-down,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1069\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/251217-blue4.jpg\" alt=\"Crew of NS-37 sits in Blue Origin New Shepard capsule mockup during training\" class=\"wp-image-905601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/251217-blue4.jpg 1069w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/251217-blue4-768x453.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1069px) 100vw, 1069px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">The crew for Blue Origin\u2019s NS-37 suborbital space flight includes, from left, Neal Milch, Michi Benthaus, Hans Koenigsmann, Adonis Pouroulis, Jason Stansell and Joey Hyde. (Blue Origin Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Benthaus\u2019 crewmates included:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Joey Hyde<\/strong>, a physicist and quantitative investor who recently retired from his career at Citadel, a leading hedge fund.&nbsp;He lives in Florida with his wife and five children.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hans Koenigsmann<\/strong>, a German-American aerospace engineer whose career has been dedicated to advancing reusable spacecraft and launch vehicles, most notably as an early team member at SpaceX. Koenigsmann played a supporting role in arranging Benthaus\u2019 flight and occasionally helped her get around. After landing, Koenigsmann said the spaceflight was \u201cactually more intense than I thought.\u201d <\/li>\n<li><strong>Neal Milch<\/strong>, a business executive and entrepreneur who launched his career through Laundrylux, a family-owned business. He now serves as the chair of the Board of Trustees at the Jackson Laboratory, a nonprofit biomedical research institute.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adonis Pouroulis<\/strong>, an entrepreneur, investor and mining engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the natural resources and energy sector. He is the founder and chairman of Pella Resources, co-founder of Energy Revolution Ventures, chairman of Rainbow Rare Earths, and the CEO of Chariot Limited. <\/li>\n<li><strong>Jason Stansell<\/strong>, a computer scientist and a self-proclaimed space nerd rooted in West Texas. He\u2019s been watching from a front-row seat as the space industry has expanded to offer opportunities for commercial spaceflight.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to the crew, NS-37 carried more than 20,000 postcards submitted by students and others through a program organized by the Club for the Future, Blue Origin\u2019s nonprofit educational foundation. The featured partners for this latest batch of postcards were UNIQLO, Arm &amp; Hammer Baking Soda Rocket Day and Give Kids the World Village.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin typically doesn\u2019t reveal how much people pay to take trips on New Shepard. In some cases, crew members have flown as invited guests. On the other end of the spectrum, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun paid $28 million for a ticket in a widely publicized auction.<\/p>\n<p>The suborbital space program\u2019s previous milestones include flying the world\u2019s oldest spaceflier (former test pilot Ed Dwight, who was 90 when he rode on New Shepard last year); the world\u2019s youngest spaceflier (Oliver Daemen, who was 18 when he flew with Bezos and two others in 2021). and the first married couple to reach the final frontier together on a commercial spaceship (Marc and Sharon Hagle in 2022).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update for 8:40 a.m. PT:<\/strong> NASA\u2019s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, congratulated Blue Origin and the NS-37 crew, with special shout-outs for Koenigsmann and Benthaus:<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=true&amp;id=2002385666965987698&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2025%2Fblue-origin-first-wheelchair-user-space-2%2F&amp;sessionId=89630defa3ae053baa5243289571a00be02a2fa4&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"2002385666965987698\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782798777471180677=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congrats to the Blue Origin team and the NS-37 crew\u2013including @HansKoenigsmann one of the great engineers of this new era. His work enabled so many to reach space\u2013I am glad he finally made the journey himself. pic.twitter.com\/hgtKRSZpPq<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) December 20, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2002386875458240832&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2025%2Fblue-origin-first-wheelchair-user-space-2%2F&amp;sessionId=89630defa3ae053baa5243289571a00be02a2fa4&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"2002386875458240832\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782798777471180677=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congratulations, Michi! You just inspired millions to look up and imagine what is possible \ud83d\ude80 https:\/\/t.co\/RMHa54o6Xh<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) December 20, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p><em>This is an updated version of a report first published on Dec. 18.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>German engineer Michaela Benthaus celebrates after her suborbital space trip. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Jeff Bezos\u2019&nbsp;Blue Origin&nbsp;space venture added a page to the space history books today by sending the first wheelchair user into space. \u201cIt was the coolest experience,\u201d said Michaela \u201cMichi\u201d Benthaus, a German-born aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4399,509,4400,4401,1250,493,4402],"class_list":["post-17070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-accessibility","tag-blue-origin","tag-disabilities","tag-michaela-benthaus","tag-new-shepard","tag-space-tourism","tag-suborbital-spaceflight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17070"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17070\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}