Actor William Shatner speaks at the "William Shatner" panel during the 17th annual official Star Trek convention at the Rio Hotel & Casino on A
Actor William Shatner speaks at the “William Shatner” panel during the 17th annual official Star Trek convention at the Rio Hotel & Casino on August 4, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gabe Ginsberg | Getty Images
Science fiction will soon become reality, as William Shatner is scheduled to launch on the next crewed spaceflight of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
Blue Origin plans to fly the Canadian actor, who famously played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek television series, as one of the passengers on the company’s New Shepard rocket.
The launch is planned for Oct. 12. Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations Audrey Powers is joining the flight, with the crew of four rounded out by the previously announced members Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen and Medidata co-founder Glen de Vries.
Blue Origin will host a live webcast of the mission, called NS-18, with coverage set to begin at 8 a.m. ET on Oct. 12.
William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk
CBS | Getty Images
Blue Origin’s New Shepard crew (L-R) Oliver Daemen, Jeff Bezos, Wally Funk, and Mark Bezos pose for a picture near the booster after flying into space in the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas. Mr. Bezos and the crew were the first human spaceflight for the company.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
A trip on Blue Origin’s New Shepard lasts about 10 minutes from liftoff to landing. The reusable rocket carries the capsule up past the U.S. boundary of space at 80 kilometers altitude, with the spacecraft and crew floating in microgravity for a couple of minutes before returning to land under a set of parachutes.
The New Shepard Blue Origin rocket lifts-off from the launch pad carrying Jeff Bezos along with his brother Mark Bezos, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk prepare to launch on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
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