by Blue Origin has just announced the identities of the next six people it will launch into the final frontier.
The six passengers on the NS-21 mission include a former space pilot aboard the company’s New Shepard spacecraft and the first Mexican-born woman to visit space, Blue Origin announced today (May 9).
Unlike the company’s four previous spaceflights, no celebrity passengers figure in the group. (“Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson was supposed to fly aboard Blue Origin’s latest mission, known as NS-20, but pulled out due to a scheduling conflict after the flight date was changed.) mission launch).
The company has not yet released a flight date for the NS-21 mission, nor did it disclose how much passengers paid. Historically, it’s primarily the very wealthy who can directly participate in such spaceflight opportunities, though this particular crew includes one person from the citizen astronaut program sponsored by Space For Humanity, a nonprofit that takes people to space. space for free, after an application process.
Below are descriptions of the six people who fly aboard NS-21.
Jeff Bezos: Founder of Blue Origin and Amazon
Evan Dick
Evan Dick will be the first person to fly twice aboard a New Shepard spacecraft, having participated in the NS-19 mission on December 11, 2021. He is a pilot, engineer, investor, and managing member of Dick Holdings, LLC. . Previously, he was Senior Vice President of DE Shaw and Managing Director of Highbridge Capital Management. He supports the Darwin Foundation, Population Relief International Corp. and Starfighters Aerospace, either through charity or as a volunteer, according to Blue Origin’s NS-21 mission announcement.
Katya Echazarreta
Katya Echazarreta, born in Guadalajara, will become the first person born in Mexico to visit the space. She co-hosts the YouTube series “Netflix IRL” and “Electric Kat” on the CBS show “Mission Unstoppable.” He spent nearly four years at NSAA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, working on space missions that include the Perseverance Mars rover and Europa Clipper, which is set to launch toward Jupiter’s moon Europa in 2024. He is pursuing a master’s degree. in electrical and computer engineering at Johns Hopkins University and aims to “provide representation for women and minorities” for those interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), according to Blue Origin. Her seat was sponsored by the non-profit organization Space for Humanity.
Hamish Harding
Hamish Harding is president of the business jet brokerage firm Action Aviation, as well as a business jet pilot. He holds several world aviation records, including a milestone in 2019 with retired NASA astronaut Terry Virts for breaking a world record for aircraft flying over the North and South Poles. Harding has also visited the South Pole twice and plunged to 36,000 feet (nearly 10,100 meters) in a submarine in 2021.
Victor Correa Spain
Victor Correa Hespanha, 28, is a production civil engineer from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. His seat was sponsored by the Crypto Space Agency, and he is identified as the world’s first cryptonaut. He is also the second Brazilian to fly into space, according to Blue Origin.
Jason Robinson
Jaison Robinson founded the commercial real estate company JJM Investments and co-founded Dream Variations Ventures with his wife, Jamie. Robinson bills himself as an avid scuba diver and skydiver with a variety of adventurous pursuits under his belt, including breaking the sound barrier in a Mig-29 jet, doing Eagle Scout, playing water polo at Stanford University and becoming a finalist. on “Survivor: Samoa” in 2009.
Victor Vescovo Victor
Victor Vescovo Victor is a co-founder of private equity investment firm Insight Equity. He completed an “Explorer’s Grand Slam,” which is an adventure community term for skiing at the North and South Poles and climbing the highest mountains on all seven continents of the world, including Everest. He is a commercially-qualified multi-engine airplane and helicopter pilot, as well as a certified submersible test pilot, and has visited Challenger Deep (the deepest point in the ocean) 12 times, according to Blue Origin. He also served 20 years in the US Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer, retiring as a major.
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