Blue Origin Achieves Milestone with 38th Successful New Shepard Flight Launch
Video shows the launch of Blue Origin’s 38th New Shepard flight on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Credit: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin has successfully launched its 38th New Shepard flight into space on Thursday, marking a significant milestone in its space exploration endeavors.
The flight took off from West Texas and landed safely approximately 10 minutes later. “We just completed our 38th flight of the New Shepard program and the first of 2026,” Blue Origin announced on its website. “New Shepard has now flown 98 humans (92 individuals) into space.“
The crew for New Shepard Mission NS-38 comprised a diverse group of individuals, including:
- Tim Drexler, a helicopter and airline pilot and former CEO of Ace Asphalt;
- Linda Edwards, a retired board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and two-time breast cancer survivor;
- Alain Fernandez, an international real estate developer;
- Alberto Gutiérrez, an entrepreneur and founder of Civitatis, a travel tour and activities platform;
- Jim Hendren, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and former F-15 fighter pilot;
- Laura Stiles, the director for the New Shepard Launch Operations and Training organization.
BLUE ORIGIN LAUNCHES KATY PERRY, ALL-FEMALE CREW INTO SPACE, COMPLETES SAFE LANDING
The Blue Origin NS-38 flight takes off Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in West Texas. (Blue Origin)
Phil Joyce, the senior vice president of New Shepard, expressed excitement about the future: “As we enter 2026, we’re focused on continuing to deliver transformational experiences for our customers through the proven capability and reliability of New Shepard. We are grateful for our astronaut customers who put their trust in our team to bring this experience into reality.”
Named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space, New Shepard has completed 37 missions and last launched on December 20, 2025.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission NS-38 left from Launch Site One in West Texas with a six-person crew. (Blue Origin)
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“New Shepard is Blue Origin’s fully reusable, suborbital rocket system built for human flight from the beginning. During the 11-minute journey, astronauts soar past the Kármán line (100 km/62 miles), the internationally recognized boundary of space, experiencing several minutes of weightlessness and witnessing life-changing views of Earth. The vehicle is fully autonomous — there are no pilots,” according to Blue Origin.
Blue Origin said the crew included: Tim Drexler, Dr. Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren, and Dr. Laura Stiles. (Blue Origin)
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In addition, Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, announced that “Today’s NS-38 mission will carry more than 20,000 postcards to space, including personal messages that represent who we are, where we come from, and our dreams for the future.”
Video shows the launch of Blue Origin’s 38th New Shepard flight on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Credit: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin has successfully launched its 38th New Shepard flight into space on Thursday, marking a significant milestone in its space exploration endeavors.
The flight took off from West Texas and landed safely approximately 10 minutes later. “We just completed our 38th flight of the New Shepard program and the first of 2026,” Blue Origin announced on its website. “New Shepard has now flown 98 humans (92 individuals) into space.“
The crew for New Shepard Mission NS-38 comprised a diverse group of individuals, including:
- Tim Drexler, a helicopter and airline pilot and former CEO of Ace Asphalt;
- Linda Edwards, a retired board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and two-time breast cancer survivor;
- Alain Fernandez, an international real estate developer;
- Alberto Gutiérrez, an entrepreneur and founder of Civitatis, a travel tour and activities platform;
- Jim Hendren, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and former F-15 fighter pilot;
- Laura Stiles, the director for the New Shepard Launch Operations and Training organization.
BLUE ORIGIN LAUNCHES KATY PERRY, ALL-FEMALE CREW INTO SPACE, COMPLETES SAFE LANDING
The Blue Origin NS-38 flight takes off Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in West Texas. (Blue Origin)
Phil Joyce, the senior vice president of New Shepard, expressed excitement about the future: “As we enter 2026, we’re focused on continuing to deliver transformational experiences for our customers through the proven capability and reliability of New Shepard. We are grateful for our astronaut customers who put their trust in our team to bring this experience into reality.”
Named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space, New Shepard has completed 37 missions and last launched on December 20, 2025.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission NS-38 left from Launch Site One in West Texas with a six-person crew. (Blue Origin)
US PLANS TO BUILD NUCLEAR REACTOR ON THE MOON BY 2030, NASA SAYS
“New Shepard is Blue Origin’s fully reusable, suborbital rocket system built for human flight from the beginning. During the 11-minute journey, astronauts soar past the Kármán line (100 km/62 miles), the internationally recognized boundary of space, experiencing several minutes of weightlessness and witnessing life-changing views of Earth. The vehicle is fully autonomous — there are no pilots,” according to Blue Origin.
Blue Origin said the crew included: Tim Drexler, Dr. Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren, and Dr. Laura Stiles. (Blue Origin)
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
In addition, Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, announced that “Today’s NS-38 mission will carry more than 20,000 postcards to space, including personal messages that represent who we are, where we come from, and our dreams for the future.”
