VAN HORN, Texas – Actor William Shatner counted down Wednesday to his wildest job still: using a rocket into place, courtesy of “Star Trek” fan Jeff Bezos.
Very best acknowledged for his purpose as Captain Kirk, the 90-calendar year-outdated Shatner joined three other passengers for the prepared launch from West Texas.
Bezos’ house travel company, Blue Origin, invited Shatner on the transient jaunt to the fringes of the ultimate frontier, which will make him the oldest individual in space.
It will be Blue Origin’s next passenger flight, utilizing the similar capsule and rocket that Bezos employed for his personal launch a few months ago. The trip must very last just 10 minutes, with the fully automated capsule reacing a optimum altitude of about 66 miles (106 kilometers) just before parachuting back again into the desert.
Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson kicked off the U.S.-primarily based area tourism growth on July 11, riding his very own rocketship to area. Bezos followed nine days later aboard his possess capsule. Elon Musk stayed behind as his SpaceX firm introduced its initial personal flight very last month, sending a billionaire, cancer survivor and two ticket winners into orbit.
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And final week, the Russians sent an actor and film director to the Worldwide Space Station for movie-generating.
“We’re just at the commencing, but how miraculous that beginning is. How remarkable it is to be element of that starting,” Shatner said in a Blue Origin online video posted on the eve of his flight. “It seems to be like there is a wonderful offer of curiosity about this fictional character, Captain Kirk, likely into area. So let’s go along with it and delight in the journey.”
Rounding out the crew: a Blue Origin vice president and two business owners who bid unsuccessfully for a seat on the earlier flight with Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Blue Origin did not disclose their ticket costs.
Bezos was at the expansive launch and landing website near Van Horn, Texas, to see the four off.
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Dunn documented from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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