
Apogee 351,000 Feet
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!
Share
Latest Posts
Nov 24, 2025NewsBlue Ring to Become First Fully Commercial Space Domain Awareness Mission in GEO with Optimum Technologies’ Sensor
Blue Origin announced an agreement with Optimum Technologies (OpTech) to integrate its next-generation Caracal optical payload onboard the first mission of Blue Ring.
Nov 20, 2025NewsNew Glenn Update
Blue Origin announced a series of upgrades to New Glenn designed to increase payload performance and launch cadence, while enhancing reliability.
Nov 13, 2025NewsNew Glenn Launches NASA’s ESCAPADE, Lands Fully Reusable Booster
The New Glenn orbital launch vehicle successfully completed its second mission, deploying NASA’s ESCAPADE twin-spacecraft into the designated loiter orbit, and landing the fully reusable first stage on Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean.