Anticipated Space Tourism Expedition by Blue Origin in August 2025
In August 2025, Blue Origin is set to launch its 34th New Shepard mission, marking the company's 14th human spaceflight. This historic flight will carry a diverse crew, including meteorologist and journalist Deborah Martorell, philanthropist Lionel Pitchford, serial entrepreneur J.D. Russell, real estate investor Arvi Bahal, and H.E. Justin Sun, the Ambassador of Grenada to the World Trade Organisation and Prime Minister of Liberland.
Deborah Martorell, a Puerto Rican native, has made a significant impact in the field of meteorology and journalism. She has won eight Emmy Awards and two Awards of Excellence in Science Reporting from the American Meteorological Society. Martorell is also a Solar System Ambassador for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Lionel Pitchford, a teacher, translator, and tour guide, is known for his philanthropic work. He founded an orphanage in Kathmandu and a Nepal non-profit dedicated to serving disadvantaged children and girls. J.D. Russell, a serial entrepreneur, founded Alpha Funds, a technology-focused venture capital company, and Alpha Aerospace, an aerospace consulting and solutions company. He has a foundation dedicated to children's education and first responders, which partners with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Russell has already been to space with New Shepherd in November 2024.
Arvi Bahal, a real estate investor and lifelong traveler, has visited every country in the world, the North and South Poles, skydived Mount Everest, and the Pyramids of Giza. He holds a private pilot's license and flies helicopters. H.E. Justin Sun, besides his political roles, is the Founder of blockchain TRON and DAO, and has been recognized by Forbes' 30 under 30 list in the Consumer Technology category several times.
The identities of the three remaining businessmen participating in the flight have not been disclosed. Justin Sun placed the winning bid for the first seat on New Shepard in 2021, with the $28 million in proceeds donated to Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future, which selected 19 space-focused nonprofits to each receive a $1 million grant.
The New Shepard vehicle is fully autonomous with no pilots, and during the approximately 11-minute suborbital journey, the crew will pass the Kármán line, experiencing weightlessness and views of Earth. The flight will include one woman, Deborah Martorell, making it a significant milestone for gender representation in space tourism.
[1] https://www.blueorigin.com/news/ns-34-crew-announced [2] https://www.blueorigin.com/news/ns-28-crew-announced [3] https://www.blueorigin.com/flight [4] https://www.blueorigin.com/vehicles/new-shepard
- Deborah Martorell, a renowned meteorologist and journalist who is also a NASA Solar System Ambassador, will embark on a tourism tour with Blue Origin's New Shepard mission in August 2025.
- J.D. Russell, a technology entrepreneur who has already experienced spaceflight with New Shepard in November 2024, founded Alpha Funds and Alpha Aerospace, and has a foundation dedicated to children's education and first responders.
- Arvi Bahal, a globetrotting real estate investor and pilot, will join the tourism tour of New Shepard mission, having visited every country in the world, the North and South Poles, skydiving Mount Everest, and the Pyramids of Giza.
- The technology-focused venture capitalist and aerospace consultant, along with a philanthropist, a tour guide, a space-focused nonprofit grant beneficiary, and a politician, will be part of the ecotourism journey with Blue Origin.
- The upcoming New Shepard mission aims to promote science education and health-and-wellness with its crew, and inspire the next generation of scientists, tourism enthusiasts, and technology innovators through space-and-astronomy experiences.
