spacetoday.net: Blue Origin may not fly people to space before year's end

Posted: Sun, Oct 6, 2019, 11:03 AM ET (1503 GMT)
New Shepard launch on NS-11 flight (Blue Origin)

Blue Origin may not fly people in space before the end of the year as the company previously planned. Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith, speaking at a conference Wednesday, said the company "tapped the brakes" on its New Shepard suborbital vehicle as it works to verify that the vehicle is safe enough to carry people. While Smith didn't rule out flying people on the vehicle before the end of the year, he said it wasn't likely. Smith said Blue Origin will conduct at least two more uncrewed test flights, the first of which is scheduled for no earlier than Nov. 1 based on an FCC license application. The company also hasn't started selling tickets for New Shepard flights, although Smith said the ticket price will be "in the hundreds of thousands of dollars."