Blue Origin NS-38 Inaugurates 2026 Operational Schedule Following Crew Change

Blue Origin successfully executed its inaugural New Shepard mission of 2026, designated NS-38, on January 22, 2026. The launch, which marked the thirty-eighth flight in the New Shepard program and the seventeenth crewed mission, lifted off from Launch Site One in West Texas at 11:25 a.m. Eastern Time, following a brief hold due to unauthorized personnel in the range.

The capsule reached an apogee of approximately 106 kilometers, surpassing the Kármán line, the generally accepted boundary of space, although some agencies, including NASA and the U.S. Air Force, define the threshold at 80 kilometers. The total flight duration was approximately 10 minutes, concluding with the parachute-assisted landing of the capsule and the vertical landing of the rocket booster.

Mission NS-38 initiated Blue Origin's operational plan for 2026, carrying six passengers: Tim Drexler, Dr. Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren, and Dr. Laura Stiles. A last-minute substitution occurred when Andrew Yaffe was replaced due to illness; he is scheduled to fly on a subsequent mission. Stiles, Blue Origin's Director of New Shepard Launch Operations since 2013, joined the flight only two days before launch.

The crew represented diverse professional backgrounds. Tim Drexler is an award-winning civil contractor, and Dr. Linda Edwards is a retired obstetrician/gynecologist for whom the flight fulfilled a four-decade aspiration. Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President for New Shepard, stated that the company remains focused on delivering transformational customer experiences, leveraging the system's proven reliability. Joyce had previously signaled in September 2025 an intent to increase flight frequency from nearly monthly to approximately weekly in the coming years, supported by the planned introduction of three new-generation New Shepard vehicles later in 2026.

The New Shepard program, named for Alan Shepard, the first American in space, is a fully reusable suborbital vehicle. The system's launch vehicle stands 19.2 meters tall and is propelled by a BE-3PM engine. To date, the New Shepard program has flown 98 individuals across 92 unique persons into space. In a competitive market context, while Blue Origin does not disclose official ticket prices, an estimated cost ranges between $200,000 and $300,000, compared to Virgin Galactic's reported $600,000 fee.