Blue Origin to launch 6 people, including anonymous passenger, to space. How to watch

Update: Blue Origin said in a post on social media site X that the launch window is now due to open at 9:40 a.m. ET Wednesday, Aug. 8.

Another lucky few are preparing to board a Blue Origin spacecraft for a brief but extraordinary journey high above Earth to the edge of space.

When the company's New Shepard rocket launches from Blue Origin's Texas facility, the six passengers on the flight will be treated to stunning views from more than 60 miles high and a few moments of weightlessness.

And when their feet are back on solid ground, they'll be in rare company . It's a ride that 75 others have taken before them in the last four years, including celebrities like Katy Perry and billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon who also owns Blue Origin .

Most of us can only dream of such an experience , but Blue Origin does offer a small consolation: Those interested can watch a livestream of the events preceding, during and following the launch and landing.

Here's what to know about the next Blue Origin launch, as well as how to watch a livestream of the mission.

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When is the next Blue Origin rocket launch?

Blue Origin will attempt to launch a mission known as NS-36 at 8 a.m. CT/9 a.m. ET Wednesday, Oct 8, the company announced .

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 near Van Horn, Texas, by 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? Does Jeff Bezos own it?

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 for NASA's business, as well as the business of other private companies.

Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket, which  flew on its inaugural flight test in January  2025 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is also due to launch again in fall 2025 from Florida . At 322 feet tall, the spacecraft rivals SpaceX's 403-foot Starship in size .

Who is going on the New Shepard? What to know about NS-34

When the New Shepard gets off the ground again, the six people selected to board it will join  75 others who have flown  on the spacecraft across 14 previous human spaceflights, including five repeat passengers.

One of the passengers will remain anonymous until after the flight, Blue Origin said. However, Blue Origin shared an image of the mission patch Saturday, Oct. 4, on social media that seems to indicate the person's last name is Lewis.

Here's a look at the other five passengers of a mission known as NS-36:

• Jeff Elgin, a business executive who founded and is the CEO of FranChoice, a company that provides consulting services for those who want to own a franchise or business.

• Danna Karagussova, a business leader with 25 years of experience in media, events and advertising.

• Clint Kelly, a retired electrical engineer who led research and technology projects in both government and private industry, including technology for driverless cars. Kelly previously flew on NS-22 in August 2022.

• Aaron Newman, an entrepreneur who has founded five software startups and Exploring Our Deep World, a nonprofit focused on conservation, scientific research and exploration of Earth’s deep waters.

• Vitalii Ostrovsky, a Ukrainian business leader and a hotel and real estate investor.

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.

How much does it cost to ride Blue Origin?

If you have dreams of blasting off to orbit on a Blue Origin spacecraft, you likely  need to either have very deep pockets  or a name that's recognizable enough to get you invited as an honored guest.

Though Blue Origin does not publicly list prices on its website,  a form to reserve a seat  requires customers to agree to a $150,000 deposit alone.

And if the price of  the first ticket sold  for a Blue Origin spaceflight in 2021 is any indicator, seats likely cost millions of dollars. The $28 million ticket price was the winning bid in an auction that included 7,600 people registered to bid from 159 countries.

However, a select few passengers over the years have had their seats aboard New Shepard paid through grants and other funding methods from large institutions.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue Origin to launch 6 to space. When is liftoff, how to watch