Shortly before the launch, the company has Blue Origin the planned short flight of two Germans into space with a rocket from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos cancelled. Blue Origin said there was “an issue with our built-in pre-flight checks.” When the flight can be rescheduled is now being checked.
For the first time, two Germans were on board the Bezos rocket: the former space engineer Hans Königsmann and the engineer from the European space agency Esa, Michaela Benthaus, who is in a wheelchair. Benthaus would be there if the rocket was successfully launched would have been the first person to fly into space with paraplegia. US entrepreneurs Joey Hyde, Neal Milch, Adonis Pouroulis and Jason Stansell also wanted to take part in the short flight with the “New Shepard” rocket.
The six participants were supposed to fly from the west of the US state of Texas to an altitude of around 100 kilometers on the approximately ten-minute and largely automated flight. The flight also includes a short phase of weightlessness.
Critics see space tourism as an unnecessary offer for the super-rich
The Blue Origin has been offering short flights for space tourists for several years. According to the company, around a dozen flights have been operated so far, with a total of around 80 wealthy passengers. The participants included the musician Katy Perry and the actor William Shatner. Also took part in the first manned flight in 2021 Company founder Jeff Bezos part. The company does not provide specific information about ticket prices.
The main criticism is the low scientific yield of the flights and their harmful effects on the environment and climate. Critics describe the trips as unnecessary space tourism for the super rich. An Oxfam study recently showed that The richest 10 percent of humanity is responsible for almost half of the climate-damaging CO2 emissions are.
