By futureTEKnow | Editorial Team
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket roared to life early Sunday morning, marking a significant step forward for private spaceflight. The NS-33 mission—Blue Origin’s 13th crewed suborbital flight—demonstrates the company’s growing momentum in space tourism, even as it navigates technical and weather-related challenges.
Lifting off from West Texas at 9:40 a.m. CDT, NS-33 carried six civilian astronauts past the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space at 104 kilometers (65 miles) above Earth—in just over 10 minutes. The mission, originally scheduled for June 21, was scrubbed twice due to high winds but ultimately proceeded smoothly.
The crew included Allie Kuehner, an environmentalist, and her husband Carl Kuehner, chairman of real estate firm Building and Land Technology. This made them the second married couple to fly together on Blue Origin. Other passengers were philanthropist Leland Larson, entrepreneur Freddie Rescigno Jr., attorney Owolabi Salis, and retired lawyer James Sitkin.
Carl Kuehner became Blue Origin’s 70th space traveler and the 750th person in history to reach space, according to the Association of Space Explorers. The mission also saw the capsule land closer to the booster’s pad than ever before, thanks to favorable wind conditions.
Since July 2021, Blue Origin has launched 74 passengers, including four repeat flyers. The company’s New Shepard program has generated over $100 million in revenue from ticket sales as of June 2022. The NS-33 mission is the third crewed flight since April, following a high-profile all-female crew that included celebrities like Katy Perry and Gayle King.
Blue Origin grounded its New Shepard fleet for six months after an engine failure during an uncrewed flight in September 2022. Operations resumed in December 2023, and the company has since maintained a steady monthly launch cadence in 2025.
With NS-33, Blue Origin continues to establish itself as a leader in suborbital space tourism. The company’s focus on environmental stewardship and community-building is reflected in its crew selection and mission themes, as highlighted by Audrey Powers, VP of Mission and Flight Operations.
Each mission lasts about 10 minutes, with several minutes of weightlessness experienced after crossing the Kármán line.
Launches occur at Launch Site One in West Texas.
Civilians can purchase tickets for suborbital flights, with crew selections often highlighting diverse backgrounds and achievements.
As of the NS-33 mission, 74 people have flown, with four having flown twice.
The Kármán line is the internationally recognized boundary of space, located at 100 kilometers (62 miles) above Earth, though Blue Origin typically reaches 104 kilometers.
Founded in 2018, futureTEKnow is a global database dedicated to capturing the world’s most innovative companies utilizing emerging technologies across five key sectors: Artificial Intelligence (AI), immersive technologies (MR, AR, VR), blockchain, robotics, and the space industry. Initially launched as a social media platform to share technology news, futureTEKnow quickly evolved into a comprehensive resource hub, spotlighting the latest advancements and groundbreaking startups shaping the future of tech.
SpaceX aims to nearly double launches from Vandenberg in 2025, facing support from federal agencies but strong objections from the state and local communities.
Traditional Medicare will pilot AI-assisted prior authorization in 2026 across six states, focusing on high-risk outpatient services. Clinicians retain final say, but incentives and access concerns loom as CMS tests fraud reduction and “gold card” exemptions. Here’s what providers and patients should know.
OpenArt’s new “one-click story” compresses scripting, visuals, and edits into ready-to-post short videos—fueling viral growth and a fresh IP debate. We break down how it works, adoption signals, what’s next (multi-character, mobile), and practical guardrails creators and brands should follow to stay original and compliant.
OpenAI’s o3 swept the Kaggle AI chess tournament, defeating xAI’s Grok 4–0. The victory fueled the intense rivalry between Altman and Musk, reshaping AI benchmarks.
NASA and Google’s AI-powered Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant enables autonomous diagnoses for astronauts on Mars missions, redefining remote healthcare for space and Earth.
Pinterest’s CEO confirms that fully agentic AI shopping is years away, as the platform invests in AI-powered tools to enhance discovery, inspiration, and personalized shopping experiences for millions.
Shopify’s new AI shopping tools are transforming e-commerce, letting agents and chatbots deliver smooth, personalized shopping and checkout experiences across platforms. Learn how these innovations reshape online retail.
Meta has acquired WaveForms AI, a startup pioneering emotion-detecting voice technology. Learn what this means for Meta’s AI voice ambitions and the future of AI audio.
Tracelight is revolutionizing financial modelling for finance professionals with AI-powered Excel tools that automate complex tasks, reduce errors, and unlock new analysis capabilities. Learn how this next-gen solution changes the future of spreadsheets.
China’s Lanyue lander completed its first major test, showcasing advanced engineering for safe, crewed moon landings before 2030. Explore how this milestone shapes the space race.
Microsoft rolls out GPT-5 across its Copilot suite, integrating smarter AI for enterprise and personal users. Discover new features, free access, and what sets this launch apart.
OpenAI’s GPT-5 is now live for all ChatGPT users. It brings faster, smarter AI with improved reasoning, expanded context, and safer outputs—marking a major leap in generative technology.
