Renowned actor William Shatner, best known for his iconic role as Captain James Tiberius Kirk in the original Star Trek series, is set to embark on an extraordinary journey into space this month.
Blue Origin, the spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, will launch its next manned capsule on October 12, with Shatner as a prominent passenger. This mission will mark the second flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule, following a previous launch in July. The previous flight included Wally Funk, a former aviator who set the record for the oldest person in space at that time. Now, at 90 years old, Shatner is poised to surpass this record, venturing into space.
Star Trek’s Captain Kirk is set to boldly go where no actor has gone before. William Shatner will blast off on a Blue Origin capsule on Oct. 12, Jeff Bezos’ space travel company announced. At age 90, Shatner will become the oldest person in space. https://t.co/C8LfZx0zBQ
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 4, 2021
Joining Shatner on this extraordinary voyage are former NASA engineer and Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen, Medidata co-founder and vice chair of life sciences at Dassault Systèmes Glen de Vries, and Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations Audrey Powers. The capsule will lift off from the Blue Origin facility in West Texas, offering a suborbital flight experience that includes weightlessness before returning to Earth.