Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ private spaceflight company, is preparing to launch a rocket and capsule Wednesday with a very special guest on board.
More than 50 years after he starred as Captain James T. Kirk in the original series of “Star Trek,” 90-year-old actor William Shatner will make a real trip to the edge of space.
If successful, the mission will make Shatner the oldest person to reach space, NBC News reports.
“I’ve heard about space for a long time now,” he said in a statement earlier this month. “I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.”
Shatner and three other crew members will ride Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket and capsule to the edge of space. Liftoff is scheduled to occur at 10 on Wednesday morning, and the flight is expected to last approximately 10 minutes.
“I’m going to see the vastness of space and the extraordinary miracle of our Earth and how fragile it is compared to the forces at work in the universe - that’s really what I’m looking for,” Shatner said in an interview with NBC News’ “TODAY” show.
The rocket was designed to fly to the edge of space at an altitude of more than 65 miles, where passengers can experience around four minutes of weightlessness.
