Blue Origin Announces Crew for New Shepard’s 36th Mission

Blue Origin today announced the next crew flying on its NS-36 mission. The crew includes: Jeff Elgin, Danna Karagussova, Dr. Clint Kelly III, Aaron Newman, Vitalii Ostrovsky, and an undisclosed sixth crew member who asked to remain anonymous until after the flight. Clint is flying for the second time; he previously flew on NS-22. 

This mission is the 15th human flight for the New Shepard program. To date, Blue Origin has flown 75 people, including five repeat customers, above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The flight date will be announced soon. The live webcast on launch day will start 30 minutes before liftoff on BlueOrigin.com, X, and YouTube. 

Meet the Crew 

Jeff Elgin 

Jeff has been an executive in the franchise industry for over 40 years. He founded FranChoice in 2000, building it into a premier franchisee referral network with offices across the United States. FranChoice guides aspiring owners through the franchise search, matching them with opportunities that fit their goals and strengths. Driven by a passion for helping others realize their dreams, Jeff has grown FranChoice into a resource that has assisted more than 500,000 people over the past 25 years in pursuing business ownership and the American Dream. 

Danna Karagussova 

Danna has more than 25 years of experience in media, distribution, and events. She co-founded Portals, a multimodal ecosystem that features digital self-regulation tools that fuse art and science. A visionary and hands-on creator, she turns bold ideas into reality. A lifelong mountaineer, she has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Elbrus as expressions of inner strength. She now looks to space—not as entertainment, but as a transformative frontier where human evolution begins within each of us and extends beyond our world. 

Dr. Clint Kelly III 

Clint is an electrical engineer with a Bachelor of Science from Duke University and a PhD from the University of Michigan, who led government and industry R&D in computer science and robotics. At DARPA in 1984, he launched the Autonomous Land Vehicle project, catalyzing today’s driverless cars. He conducted space-sensing research for national security, funds university rocket teams, and has served on corporate boards and university advisory councils. With his wife, he has photographed wildlife on every continent—from big cats and polar bears to all 21 penguin species—and authored a 486-page penguin book. Clint first flew to space on NS-22 on August 4, 2022. 

Aaron Newman 

Aaron is a serial entrepreneur and explorer. He founded five successful software startups, authored multiple books, and holds six patents. As an explorer, he has traveled to the stern of the Titanic, descended into the Mariana Trench, and twice attempted to summit Mt. Everest. He founded Exploring Our Deep World, a non-profit organization advancing education, conservation, scientific research, and exploration of Earth’s deep waters. A proud U.S. Army veteran of the First Gulf War, Aaron serves on the boards of TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) and the Strong National Museum of Play. He is also the father of two children, Thomas and Evelyn. 

Vitalii Ostrovsky 

Vitalii is a Ukrainian businessman, hotel and real estate investor, systems analyst, web developer, and relentless globetrotter. Over the past decade, he has lived in more than 100 countries on every continent, roaming from the Arctic Circle to the ice of Antarctica. He applies a systems mindset to business and technology while building and investing in hospitality and property ventures. Now he sets his sights on the next frontier, space, pursuing a journey that extends his life of exploration beyond Earth. 

Follow Blue Origin on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and YouTube, and sign up on BlueOrigin.com to stay current on all mission details. 

New Shepard Astronauts by Mission 

• NS-34 (August 3, 2025): Real estate investor Arvi Bahal; Turkish businessman Gökhan Erdem; Puerto Rican meteorologist Deborah Martorell; British teacher Lionel Pitchford; entrepreneur and NS-28 astronaut J.D. Russell; and Tron founder H.E. Justin Sun, who placed the winning bid for the first seat on New Shepard in 2021.  
• NS-33 (June 29, 2025): Philanthropist Leland (Lee) Larson; conservationist Allie Kuehner and her husband, Carl Kuehner, a real estate developer and conservationist; President and CEO of Commodity Cables Freddie Rescigno, Jr.; lawyer and financial consultant Owolabi Salis; and attorney Jim Sitkin. 
• NS-32 (May 31, 2025): K-12 STEM teacher Aymette Medina Jorge; radiologist and explorer Dr. Gretchen Green; former Panamanian ambassador to the United States Jaime Alemán; entrepreneur Jesse Williams; aerospace executive Mark Rocket; and entrepreneur Paul Jeris. 
• NS-31 (April 14, 2025): Entrepreneur and global STEM advocate Aisha Bowe; bioastronautics research scientist and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyễn; CBS Mornings co-host and Oprah Daily editor-at-large Gayle King; global pop superstar Katy Perry; film producer Kerianne Flynn; and New York Times bestselling author, pilot, and philanthropist Lauren Sánchez.  
• NS-30 (February 25, 2025): Entrepreneur Elaine Hyde; Spanish adventurer and TV host Jesús Calleja; Bess Ventures Founder and NS-19 Astronaut Lane Bess; reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Richard Scott; quantitative researcher Tushar Shah; and an undisclosed sixth crew member.  
• NS-28 (November 22, 2024): Business professional Austin Litteral; MIT engineer and TV host Emily Calandrelli; Bayshore Capital CEO Henry Wolfond; entrepreneur James (J.D.) Russell; and philanthropists Sharon Hagle and her husband, Marc, who both previously flew on NS-20.  
• NS-26 (August 29, 2024): Cardiologist Dr. Eiman Jahangir; entrepreneur Ephraim Rabin; entrepreneur Eugene Grin; Orbitelle founder Karsen Kitchen; entrepreneur Nicolina Elrick; and University of Florida Professor Rob Ferl.  
• NS-25 (May 19, 2024): Retired CPA Carol Schaller; former Air Force Captain and first Black astronaut candidate Ed Dwight; pilot Gopi Thotakura; Family Tree Maker founder Ken Hess; Industrious Ventures investor Mason Angel; and French entrepreneur Sylvain Chiron.  
• NS-22 (August 4, 2022): Technology leader Clint Kelly III; Dude Perfect cofounder Coby Cotton; Portuguese entrepreneur Mário Ferreira; Egyptian mechanical and biomedical engineer Sara Sabry; telecommunications executive Steve Young; and British-American mountaineer Vanessa O’Brien.  
• NS-21 (June 4, 2022): Investor and NS-19 Astronaut Evan Dick; pilot and Action Aviation Chairman Hamish Harding; adventurer and Dream Variation Ventures Co-Founder Jaison Robinson; electrical engineer and former NASA test lead Katya Echazarreta; civil production engineer Victor Correa Hespanha; and Insight Equity Founder and explorer Victor Vescovo, Commander, USN (Ret.).  
• NS-20 (March 31, 2022): New Shepard Chief Architect Gary Lai; president of Commercial Space Technologies, LLC, and former associate administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation Dr. George Nield; entrepreneur and adventurer Jim Kitchen; real estate executive Marc Hagle; executive and investor Marty Allen; and SpaceKids Global Founder Sharon Hagle.  
• NS-19 (December 11, 2021): Content creator Cameron Bess; space industry executive and philanthropist Dylan Taylor; investor Evan Dick; Bess Ventures Founder Lane Bess; the eldest daughter of Alan Shepard, the first American to fly to space, and the namesake of New Shepard Laura Shepard Churchley, and Good Morning America host Michael Strahan.  
• NS-18 (October 13, 2021): Blue Origin’s Vice President, New Shepard Mission & Flight Operations Audrey Powers; entrepreneur and Planet Labs Co-Founder Dr. Chris Boshuizen; entrepreneur Glen de Vries; and actor William Shatner.  
• NS-16 (July 20, 2021): Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos; volunteer firefighter and co-founder of HighPost Capital Mark Bezos; student Oliver Daemen; and aviator Wally Funk.