How to Watch Blue Origin NS-26 August 29, 2024 (Launched/Completed)
This post will be updated with current schedule dates and times as these change
Lift Off: August 29, 2024, 9:10 am EDT (Actual)
Soft Landing: August 29, 2024, 9:19am EDT (Actual)
Apogee: 341,000 Feet/104KM past Karman line
Blue Origin’s NS-26 mission is scheduled for August 29, 2024. This 10-minute suborbital spaceflight will take six passengers on a journey past the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. While at the apogee, the passengers unstrap from their seats, getting the opportunity to free float in weightlessness for about one minute. Then it's a bumpy descent into Earth’s atmosphere followed by a parachute-assisted landing in the West Texas desert amid the Guadalupe Mountains.
The mission, part of Blue Origin’s ongoing expansion of civilian space travel, is the eighth flight carrying space tourists, which will total 44 passengers after NS-26 is completed. Notably, American Karsen Kitchen, whose father flew on a previous Blue Origin voyage, will become the youngest person, at 21 years old, to cross the 62 mile Karman Line. Anastatia Mayers from Antigua remains the youngest person, at 18 years old, to have crossed the FAA space boundary at 50 miles.
Here’s how you can watch the launch along with brief bios of the six passengers below.
How to Watch the Blue Origin NS-26 Launch
Live Stream
The NS-26 mission will be live-streamed on Blue Origin’s official website and YouTube channel. The live stream typically begins about an hour before the scheduled launch time, providing viewers with a detailed look at the pre-launch activities, including the crew’s arrival, boarding, and the final countdown.
Where to Watch:
Summary Video:
Social Media Updates
For those who prefer real-time updates in text form, Blue Origin will be posting live updates on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. These platforms will feature photos, videos, and commentary throughout the mission. It’s a great way to stay informed if you can’t watch the live stream.
Twitter: @blueorigin
Instagram: @blueorigin
The Spacefarers
Nicolina Elrick
Nicolina is a philanthropist and entrepreneur whose career spans high fashion modeling to property development and founding multiple IT start-ups in the 1990s. Based in Singapore, Nicolina is a certified helicopter pilot and a spirited explorer.
Rob Ferl
Rob is a distinguished professor and director of the Astraeus Space Institute at the University of Florida. He has spent his career studying how living organisms respond to extreme conditions, especially microgravity. His team was also the first to prove that plants could grow in lunar soil collected during the Apollo missions. Rob received funding through a NASA TechFlights grant by the agency’s Flight Opportunities program
Eugene Grin
Eugene was born in Ukraine and emigrated to the United States in 1979, where he started his career in real estate and finance. He works as a fund manager at Laurus Capital Management.
Dr. Eiman Jahangir
Eiman is a cardiologist and Associate Professor of Medicine and Radiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he treats patients with heart disease and educates future physicians. Over the past two decades, Eiman has participated in analog astronaut missions and trained in various aspects of human spaceflight. Eiman's seat is sponsored by MoonDAO, an organization whose mission is to accelerate a multiplanetary future.
Karsen Kitchen
Karsen is poised to make history as the youngest woman ever, at 21 years of age, to cross the Kármán line. A senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Karsen is majoring in Communications and Astronomy. After graduation, she intends to pursue a career in the space industry. In 2024, she founded Orbitelle, an initiative to encourage women to pursue careers in the space industry. Her father, Jim Kitchen, flew to space on Blue Origin’s NS-20 mission in 2022.
Ephraim Rabin
Ephraim is an American-Israeli businessman, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Parchem Fine & Specialty Chemicals, a technology company revolutionizing supply chains for specialized raw materials and ingredients globally. Ephraim is a trustee and mentor at a variety of organizations and think tanks, as well as a race car driver, chef, and avid skier and adventurer.
