Blue Origin’s New Shepard space vehicle successfully flew to space, reaching its planned test altitude of 329,839 feet (100.5 kilometers) before executing a historic landing back at the launch site in West Texas.
The landing was a breakthrough for Jeff Bezos’ company, which is aiming to become a leader in space tourism. Reusable rockets would significantly reduce the cost of space travel.
The video above is a mix of actual footage and renderings of a tourism scenario. But while the actual deployment of regular space tourism missions is probably a ways away (and very expensive), this accomplishment seems to bring it one step closer to reality.
