Blue Origin rocket launch: How to watch livestream of next human spaceflight

USA Today

a day ago

Blue Origin will provide a livestream of the launch, taking place from a private ranch in West Texas.
A spaceflight that was delayed a week ago could commence this weekend as Blue Origin plans to once again attempt to launch a rocket that will take a group of six people to the very edge of space.
The mission, known as NS-33, will be the 13th human spaceflight Blue Origin has conducted since 2021, when billionaire Jeff Bezos, the company's founder, boarded a New Shepard spacecraft for its maiden flight. The next six people selected to board the launch vehicle are set to join an exclusive club of more than 60 others who have flown on the brief 11-minute missions in the last four years.
Awaiting them about 60 miles above Earth? A few precious moments of weightlessness in the crew capsule, and stunning views of space and the ground below.
It's an experience the rest of us can only imagine, but at least those interested can watch the launch from West Texas from the comfort of their own home.
Here's what to know about the next Blue Origin launch, as well as how to watch a livestream of the mission.
When is the next Blue Origin launch?
Blue Origin's next crewed launch, known as NS-33, was due to get off the ground Saturday, June 21. The company first opted to delay the mission to Sunday, June 22 due to "persistent high winds" before announcing at 5:48 a.m. CT that mission operators were once again postponing the launch "due to weather."
The mission is now being targeted for 8:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. CT) Sunday, June 29, Blue Origin announced. Backup opportunities are available if the launch is scrubbed again on Monday, June 30, according to a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory.
Where are Blue Origin launches?
Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launches take place from the company's private ranch facility known as Launch Site One. The facility is located more than 140 miles east of El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border.
How to watch the Blue Origin New Shepard take off
Blue Origin will provide a webcast of the launch beginning about 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled liftoff on its website.
What is Blue Origin?
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, best known for founding Amazon, is the founder of the private space technology company Blue Origin.
Bezos himself even boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard for its maiden crewed voyage in July 2021, which came after the spacecraft flew on 15 flight tests beginning in 2012. For nearly four years since its first crewed mission, the New Shepard spacecraft has served as a powerful symbol of Blue Origin's commercial spaceflight ambitions amid a growing space tourism industry.
In addition to sending space tourists on brief joy rides to the edge of space, Blue Origin has also increasingly sought to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket, which flew on its inaugural flight test in January 2025 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is also being developed for future spaceflights. At 320 feet tall, the spacecraft rivals SpaceX's 400-foot Starship in size.
Who is going on the New Shepard? What to know about NS-33
Here's a look at the passengers on the next Blue Origin New Shepard spaceflight, known as NS-33:
What happens during a New Shepard rocket launch?
Each spaceflight on a New Shepard vehicle lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown.
Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the 60-foot-tall New Shepard rocket is topped with the gum drop-shaped crew capsule. The spacecraft operates completely autonomously, meaning no pilots are aboard.
During its ascent, the spacecraft reaches supersonic speeds surpassing 2,000 mph before the rocket booster separates from the crew capsule. At that point, those aboard the capsule become weightless as the spacecraft continues toward its highest point on its brief voyage above the Kármán Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space.
While experiencing a few minutes of microgravity, passengers have the opportunity to unstrap themselves from their seats to gaze out the capsule's large windows and take in a stunning view of Earth.
Meanwhile, the rocket booster heads back to the ground while firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent to land vertical about two miles from the launchpad.
The capsule itself eventually begins what Blue Origin refers to as a "stable freefall' – plummeting back to Earth as three massive parachutes deploy and the capsule makes a soft landing in the desert, sending up plumes of dust.
Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY Network
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [e-mail]