(VAN HORN, Texas) — Actor William Shatner and his three crewmates on Blue Origin’s New Shepard have returned to Earth after a 10-minute trip to space.
Shatner, 90, is the oldest person ever to go to space.
The “Star Trek” star joined Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations and a former NASA flight controller and engineer; Chris Boshuizen, the co-founder of satellite company Planet Labs and a former space mission architect for NASA; and Glen de Vries, the co-founder of Medidata Solutions, a life science company.
This was Blue Origin’s second crewed mission to space.
Latest headlines:
-‘I am so filled with emotion,’ Shatner says
-Capsule touches down safely
-Capsule separates from booster
-Shatner soars to space in historic launch
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 13, 12:42 pm
New Shepard reaches height of 347,539 feet
Soon after touchdown, Blue Origin tweeted some statistics about the launch.
The NS-18 capsule carrying Shatner and the other three astronauts reached a height of 347,539 feet above ground level. The maximum velocity was 2,235 mph.
ABC News’ Ayushi Agarwal
Oct 13, 11:32 am
Bezos pins Shatner and crew
“Welcome to a very small club,” Bezos told the four new astronauts as he fastened pins on their suits.
“Oops, this one is bent,” Bezos said as he tried to pin one on Shatner. “So am I,” Shatner joked back.
ABC News’ Ayushi Agarwal
Oct 13, 11:25 am
‘I am so filled with emotion,’ Shatner says
Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin’s founder, joined friends and family as they greeted the astronauts who exited the capsule one by one.
Bezos sprayed bottles of champagne to celebrate the safe and historic launch.
“Everybody in the world needs to do this,” Shatner, who was overcome with emotion, told Bezos.
“It was so moving. This experience has been something unbelievable,” he said. “The blue down there, the black up there.”
“You have done something,” Shatner said to Bezos. “What you have given me is the most profound experience. I am so filled with emotion.”
He went on, “I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it. I am overwhelmed.”
As for the camaraderie with the crew, the actor said, “It’s like being in battle together.”
Oct 13, 11:02 am
Capsule touches down safely
The newest astronauts touched down safely at about 11 a.m. ET.
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