William Shatner’s Blue Origin Space Mission Delayed

Shatner was slated to depart Earth on Tuesday.

By Emily Rella | Oct 11, 2021
Bennett Raglin | Stringer | Getty Images

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The launch of Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-18 vessel, which will be carrying actor William Shatner, was delayed one day due to weather. It was slated to depart Earth on Tuesday.

Forecasted winds pushed the launch up to Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

In a Sunday press release, Blue Origin said, “As part of today’s flight readiness review, the mission operations team confirmed the vehicle has met all mission requirements, and astronauts began their training today. Weather is the only gating factor for the launch window.”

Shatner’s trip on Jeff Bezos’ rocket was first reported at the end of last month. He and the company have since confirmed it and on Thursday, he told the audience at his ComicCon panel that he’s “terrified” for his mission.

Related: William Shatner to Go to Space

“I’m Captain Kirk and I’m terrified going to space,” the Star Trek actor quipped. “You know, I’m not really terrified. Yes, I am. It comes and goes like a summer cold.”

Shatner, 90, will become the oldest person to travel to space when the mission does launch. He will be accompanied by Audrey Powers, the vice president of Blue Origin’s New Shepard mission and flight operations.

The launch of Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-18 vessel, which will be carrying actor William Shatner, was delayed one day due to weather. It was slated to depart Earth on Tuesday.

Forecasted winds pushed the launch up to Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

In a Sunday press release, Blue Origin said, “As part of today’s flight readiness review, the mission operations team confirmed the vehicle has met all mission requirements, and astronauts began their training today. Weather is the only gating factor for the launch window.”

Shatner’s trip on Jeff Bezos’ rocket was first reported at the end of last month. He and the company have since confirmed it and on Thursday, he told the audience at his ComicCon panel that he’s “terrified” for his mission.

Related: William Shatner to Go to Space

“I’m Captain Kirk and I’m terrified going to space,” the Star Trek actor quipped. “You know, I’m not really terrified. Yes, I am. It comes and goes like a summer cold.”

Shatner, 90, will become the oldest person to travel to space when the mission does launch. He will be accompanied by Audrey Powers, the vice president of Blue Origin’s New Shepard mission and flight operations.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer
Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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