Video shows Blue Origin’s 38th New Shepard flight launch on Thursday, January 22, 2026. (Credit: Blue Origin)
blue origin successfully launched the 38th New Shepard flight into space on Thursday.
The plane took off from West Texas and landed safely about 10 minutes later.
“We have just completed the 38th New Shepard mission and first flight in 2026,” Blue Origin said on its website. “New Shepard currently flies 98 (92) people.” To space. ”
The New Shepard Mission NS-38’s crew includes Tim Drexler, a helicopter and airline pilot and former CEO of Ace Asphalt, Blue Origin said. Linda Edwards is a former obstetrician-gynecologist and two-time breast cancer survivor. Alan Fernandes, international real estate developer. Alberto Gutierrez is an entrepreneur and founder of Civitatis, a travel tours and activities platform. Jim Hendren, retired U.S. Air Force colonel and former F-15 fighter pilot. Laura Stiles is New Shepard’s Director of Launch Operations and Training Organization.
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Blue Origin Flight NS-38 takes off from West Texas on Thursday, January 22, 2026. (Blue Origin)
“As we enter 2026, we are focused on continuing to deliver innovative experiences to our customers through New Shepard’s proven capabilities and reliability,” said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard. “We are grateful to our astronaut customers for trusting our team to make this experience a reality.”
Blue Origin said New Shepard was named after Alan Shepard, the first American to go into space. The program completed 37 missions; last started December 20, 2025.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission NS-38 departed from Launch Site 1 in West Texas with a crew of six. (Blue Origin)
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“New Shepard is Blue Origin’s fully reusable suborbital rocket system, built from the ground up for human flight. During the 11-minute journey, astronauts will fly beyond the internationally recognized boundary of space, the Kármán line (100 km/62 miles), experience several minutes of weightlessness and witness life-changing views of Earth. The vehicle is fully autonomous and has no pilot,” Blue Origin said.
Blue Origin said the crew included Tim Drexler, Dr. Linda Edwards, Alan Fernandez, Alberto Gutierrez, Jim Hendren and Dr. Laura Stiles. (Blue Origin)
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Blue Origin’s Foundation Club for the Future also said: “Today’s NS-38 mission will carry into space more than 20,000 postcards containing personal messages that express who we are, where we come from and our dreams for the future.”
