
New Shepard flew again for the eighth time on April 29, 2018, from Blue Origin’s West Texas Launch Site. Known as Mission 8 (M8), the mission featured a reflight of the vehicle flown on Mission 7. The Crew Capsule reached an apogee of 351,000 feet (66 miles, 107 kilometers) – the altitude we’ve been targeting for operations.
For the second time, Blue Origin’s test dummy “Mannequin Skywalker” flew to space conducting astronaut telemetry and science studies. The flight also carried research payloads for NASA, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and commercial customers. Learn more about the payloads in our blog post.
We look forward to sharing upcoming test flights as we continue our progress toward human spaceflight.
In case you missed it – check out the full livestream and mission highlights.
-Gradatim Ferociter!
New Glenn GS1 with Amazon logo
T-35 Minutes
Enter the capsule and buckle up for your flight.
T-0 Minutes
Liftoff!
T+3 Minutes
Weightlessness begins as the capsule separates from the booster.
T+3-5 Minutes
Free float in the capsule for several minutes in zero-g, passing the Kármán Line and ascending above 100 kilometers.
T+5 Minutes
Buckle back up for the capsules free-float descent back to Earth under parachutes.
T+7.5 Minutes
Booster lands on the pad in West Texas.
T+11 Minutes
Capsule touches down gently as a retro-thrust system creates a pillow of air for a soft landing.
T+21 Minutes
The hatch opens as your guests and CrewMember 7 guides greet you for celebration.