Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Credit: Blue Origin

Due to a forecast of strong winds, the Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital launch team has made the call to delay the launch of NS-19 to Saturday, December 11.

Liftoff from Launch Site One near Van Horn in West Texas is targeted for 8:45am CST/14:45 UTC.

“The team has completed Flight Readiness Review and confirmed the vehicle has met all mission requirements for launch,” reports Blue Origin. The space travelers have completed training and weather remains as the only gating factor for a liftoff.

Upper L to R: Lane Bess, Cameron Bess, Evan Dick; Lower L to R: Dylan Taylor, Laura Shepard Churchley, Michael Strahan
Credit: Blue Origin

All aboard!

The crew of the upcoming NS-19 flight includes two honorary guests and four paying customers.

Guests include Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of Alan Shepard, who was the first American to fly to space.

The four customers include space industry executive and philanthropist Dylan Taylor, investor Evan Dick, Bess Ventures founder Lane Bess, and Cameron Bess.

Lane and Cameron Bess will become the first parent-child pair to fly in space.

Meet the crew

Laura Shepard Churchley

Laura has dedicated her life to promoting what her father, Alan Shepard, started when he became the first American in space and the fifth person to walk on the Moon. Alan Shepard is the namesake of New Shepard. She currently serves as Chair of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Board of Trustees, a foundation that raises funds for college students and provides mentoring to scholars pursuing careers and research in STEM.

NS-19 patch
Credit: Blue Origin

Michael Strahan

Michael is a two-time Emmy award winner, Peabody award-winning journalist, and Super Bowl Champion, who currently serves as a co-anchor on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and host of the top-rated primetime game show “$100,000 Pyramid.” Strahan additionally serves as an analyst for “Fox NFL Sunday” and headlines the Thursday Night Football Pregame Show live from New York City. Partnering with his longtime friend Constance Schwartz, Strahan formed SMAC Entertainment, a multidimensional talent management, music, branding, and production company which has become known for strong, diversified content, and its production of the “Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards.” Strahan is also intensely dedicated to charitable work, supporting the USO, HELP USA, Merging Vets and Players organizations.

Blue Origin invited Michael to join the crew of this flight. As a crew member, he will receive a stipend, which is being donated to The Boys & Girls Club.

Dylan Taylor

Dylan is an active pioneer in the space exploration industry as a CEO, investor, thought leader, and philanthropist. He is the Chairman & CEO of Voyager Space, a global space exploration firm headquartered in Denver, and the founder of the global nonprofit Space for Humanity, which seeks to democratize access to space. He is also co-Founding Patron of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Known for his commitment to creating positive impact in the world and leading Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives in the space community, Dylan was named a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute in 2014 and a Fellow of the Unreasonable Group in 2021.

Go to Taylor’s blog — Journey to the Dream – that details his New Shepard experience at:

https://dylantaylor.org/blog/

Blue Origin’s crew capsule – a suborbital six-seater craft.
Credit: Blue Origin

Evan Dick

Evan is an engineer, investor, and Managing Member of Dick Holdings, LLC. Evan formerly served as Senior Vice President for D.E. Shaw and Managing Director of Highbridge Capital Management, and is a charitable supporter of the Darwin Foundation and Population Relief International Corp. Evan is an ATP-rated pilot and volunteer for Starfighters Aerospace, as well as an avid sailor and motorcyclist.

Lane Bess

Lane is the Principal and Founder of Bess Ventures and Advisory, a family fund supporting technology firms that innovate and disrupt across multiple market sectors. Lane is best known for having helped start and build two of the most important cybersecurity companies in the public markets today, Zscaler (NASDQ) and Palo Alto Networks (NYSE). Lane also serves as a Trustee at Carnegie Mellon University and, along with his family, supports philanthropic interests across health and social issues.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster takes flight.
Credit: Blue Origin

Cameron Bess

Cameron is a content creator with a passion for creating and expressing themselves in ways that can brighten a person’s day. After studying Computer Science and Game Design at DigiPen Institute for Technology in Washington, they’ve developed an engaged community across multiple platforms, producing original content and developing proprietary software to support their audience. Cameron identifies as pansexual and is proud to represent marginalized communities and hopes their journey can inspire others.

Live launch coverage of NS-19, go to: https://www.blueorigin.com/

Coverage starts at T-90 minutes. Follow Blue Origin on Twitter, to stay up to date on all mission details.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin.
Credit: Blue Origin