Jeff Bezos' spaceflight firm Blue Origin postpones the planned voyage of "Star Trek" star William Shatner. The postponement was necessary owing to expected high winds. The flight was supposed to take place on Oct. 12.
William Shatner's Blue Origin Launch Pushed Back
Blue Origin has decided to push back the launch of its New Shepard vehicle that will carry Shatner and three other individuals to suborbital space. Initially, it was scheduled to launch on Tuesday, but the group had to wait for another day due to weather issues.
The winds in the area are expected to be unfavorable on Tuesday. So, the team has no other choice but to delay the launch. In an announcement on Twitter on Sunday, the new launch date will be on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 8:30 am CDT / 13:30 UTC. The live broadcast begins at T-90 minutes on BlueOrigin.com.
Due to forecasted winds in West Texas we are pushing #NS18 launch target to Wednesday, October 13. Liftoff is targeted for 8:30 am CDT / 13:30 UTC. Live broadcast begins at T-90 mins on https://t.co/7Y4TherpLr. Stay tuned for more details.
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 10, 2021
At the height of 62 miles, Shatner and the NS-18 crew will fly just over the Karman line, where they will feel four minutes of weightlessness. The astronauts will also be able to see the planet's curvature. Blue Origin's second crewed mission will take place on this flight. The presence of one of the most well-known characters from space exploration television in this launch is intended to generate interest in the space tourism industry. Blue Origin's first crewed flight took place in July, with Bezos, his brother Mark, aviator Wally Funk, and Oliver Daeman on board.
Chris Boshuizen, a former NASA engineer and co-founder of Planet Labs; Glen de Vries, a co-founder of Medidata; and Audrey Power, Blue Origin's vice president of mission and flight operations, will join Shatner on stage.
According to Business Insider, the forthcoming voyage of the Hollywood star would not include any Blue Origin employees, making it unique among the prior missions.
Shatner would be the first member of the "Star Trek" cast to travel to space. He is best remembered for Captain James T. Kirk in the 1960s TV series "Star Trek." Perhaps more importantly, at the age of 90, Shatner will become the oldest person to ever travel to space.
Shatner's Blue Origin Launch Delay Becomes A Joke?
In a statement obtained by Variety, a Blue Origin representative stated the company's mission operations team had decided to postpone the launch of NS-18. The next mission is scheduled to launch on Wednesday from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in Texas.
Many people are mocking Blue Origin as a result of this problem. One of the comments on the company's most recent Twitter post claimed he was shocked that Jeff Bezos did not name the astronauts participating.
I figured your little rocket would get stiffer with a good blow. HARDER LONGER FASTER STRONGER!https://t.co/ICJTrK5Gwp
— Kendall Winters (@SGT_PEPPER_66) October 10, 2021
One Twitter user criticized Blue Origin's actual remark, claiming that it should have used the phrase "prediction" because it is the most often used term.
Another commenter made an NSFW joke. He went on to say that the space firm needed to improve its "small" rocket by making it quicker, longer, and more powerful. He seemed to be equating Bezos' spaceship to a male private portion in his comments.
This isn't the first time Blue Origin has been criticized in this way. Various people worldwide have mocked the massive space agency, particularly during its battle with Elon Musk and SpaceX.
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