Jeff Bezos‘ space venture Blue Origin has achieved a landmark moment in commercial spaceflight by flying the first wheelchair user to space, marking a breakthrough in accessibility beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
The historic flight took place from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas as part of the New Shepard NS-37 mission, a fully reusable suborbital rocket system designed for short, tourist-style trips above the Kármán line, the widely accepted boundary of space.
At the centre of this achievement was 33-year-old Michaela “Michi” Benthaus.
Who is Michaela “Michi” Benthaus?
Benthaus is a 33-year-old German aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency. Benthaus, who has used a wheelchair since suffering a spinal cord injury in a 2018 mountain-biking accident, has long championed greater inclusion in fields where people with disabilities have historically been underrepresented. Her flight aboard New Shepard was both a personal milestone and a symbolic leap for inclusivity in space exploration.
“I always wanted to go to space, but I never really considered it something which I could actually do,” Benthaus told CNN ahead of the flight.
“Maybe space is for people who have an amputated leg but still can walk a little bit…Maybe having a spinal cord injury is way too disabled,” Benthaus said.
She said that her participation in the NS-37 mission was proof that physical limitations should not be an obstacle to pursuing dreams, even those as lofty as going to space.
The New Shepard’s upward journey lasted roughly 10–12 minutes, during which passengers experienced several minutes of microgravity and breath-taking views of Earth against the black backdrop of space before safely returning to land.
Who are the other crew members?
Alongside Benthaus were five other crew members, including Hans Koenigsmann, a veteran rocket engineer and former SpaceX executive, as well as scientists, technologists, and business leaders whose varied backgrounds underscored the mission’s diverse makeup.
Disability advocates hail move
The flight also drew attention for its broader implications. Disability advocates and space professionals hailed it as a powerful message, that spaceflight is increasingly more inclusive and accessible than ever before.
Benthaus’ journey was seen not just as a personal achievement, but as an inspiring signal to individuals around the world that space can be open to all, regardless of physical ability, according to the Houston Chronicle.