After a break of almost two years, US billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, has taken space tourists to the edge of orbit for the first time. In a live broadcast on the Internet, Blue Origins' New Shepard rocket successfully lifted off from the launch pad in the US state of Texas today. After a short flight in weightlessness, the six tourists landed back at Blue Origin's base near Van Horn.

Among the space tourists was Ed Dwight, an African-American former Air Force pilot who was rejected as an astronaut by NASA in the 1960s. At the age of 90 years, eight months and ten days, his flight made him the oldest person to fly into space. “Star Trek” actor William Shatner was about two months younger when he flew with Blue Origin in 2021.

Blue Origin's seventh manned flight

This was Blue Origin's seventh crewed mission. So far, Amazon founder Bezos' company has brought 31 people into the space. The flights will use the small, fully reusable New Shepard rocket, named after Alan Shepard, the first American citizen in space.

The missile program suffered a setback in September when the unmanned New Shepard vehicle caught fire shortly after launch. An investigation conducted by the American authorities revealed that the engine temperature had risen.