Blue Origin launch – as it happened: William Shatner launched into space on historic flight
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Blue Origin has launched William Shatner into space aboard its New Shepard rocket.
The Star Trek actor has gone where no 90-year-old has gone before, becoming the oldest person to ever fly to space.
According to a live stream of the historic event, Shatner reached an altitude of roughly 350,000ft and a velocity of about 2,000mph.
The trip lasted about 10 minutes, when the capsule fell back to Earth with a parachute.
The New Shepard NS-18 flight was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was delayed due to windy weather at the Texas launch site.
Shatner is joined on the flight by Blue Origin Vice President Audrey Powers, former Nasa engineer Chris Boshuizen and Medidata CEO Glen de Vries.
It comes less than three months after Jeff Bezos made the same 11-minute trip aboard the first ever crewed New Shepard rocket.
You can read how the launch played out in our live blog below, as well as watch a video of the event at the top of this page.
T-minus 1 minute
The gantry has retracted and final checks are complete. Just 60 seconds to go until launch.
T-5 mins
We’re all clear for launch - less than five minutes to go...
Blue Origin launch and landing - what to expect
Here’s a diagram showing what to expect after lift-off.
Once above 100km, the crew will experience three to four minutes of microgravity, allowing them to unbuckle and float around the capsule.
The whole thing, from lift-off to landing, takes around 11 minutes.
Blue Origin launch back on!
After a 15 minute wait, Blue Origin has restarted its launch countdown.
We’re at T-12 minutes, with lift-off set for around 9.45am local time.
Blue Origin crew enjoy view from the window
Unlike the recent SpaceX mission, each of today’s four crew members has a window seat.
The design of the New Shepard capsule is curtailed to space tourists, as the entire flight is automated. There are no controls or anything else that crew members have to worry about - except in emergency - so they can sit back and enjoy the view.
Blue Origin crew receive messages from predecessors
While the launch remains on hold, Blue Origin is taking the opportunity to convey messages from the only other people who have made this journey aboard a New Shepard rocket: the NS-16 crew.
They include words of encouragement and a plea to “savour” every second of the 11 minutes they will spend heading to and from space.
82-year-old Wally Funk, who currently holds the record for being the oldest person to travel to space, described it as the “greatest moment” of her life. At 90 years of age, William Shatner should soon break that record.
Blue Origin launch: New Shepard NS-18 hatch closed
Finally, 13 minutes behind schedule, the hatch of the New Shepard rocket capsule is closed.
The job is done by Jeff Bezos himself, with the Blue Origin boss saying a few words to the crew before closing it up.
Almost immediately, the launch countdown is once again put on hold - maybe to catch up on the time that they’re behind.
Blue Origin crew enter capsule
The four-person crew enters the New Shepard capsule at T-24 minutes, which is a little behind schedule.
According to Blue Origin’s official schedule, the hatch was meant to be closed at T-29 minutes.
Almost eight minutes later and the tower crew still appears to be filling in paperwork. They’ll need to get closed up and off the ground quicker than it takes most commercial aircraft.
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