TEXAS — Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' space exploration company, will launch New Shepard mission 32, or NS-32, on Saturday, May 31.

What You Need To Know

  • The NS-32 mission will feature six new astronauts

  • The manned mission includes a high school teacher from Galveston, Texas

  • Also included are a number of entrepreneurs and adventurers

  • This mission follows NS-31, which launched pop star Katy Perry and talk show host Gayle King into space, among others

The mission is set to launch at 8:30 a.m. CDT, and will send six new astronauts into space.

The passengers on this manned flight include:

  • Aymette (Amy) Medina Jorge - High school and middle school STEM teacher at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, Texas
  • Dr. Gretchen Green - Radiologist specializing in women’s imaging
  • Jaime Alemán -  Panamanian attorney, businessman and former ambassador to the U.S.
  • Jesse Williams - Canadian entrepreneur and adventurer
  • Mark Rocket - Entrepreneur and technology leader from Christchurch, New Zealand

Blue Origin has also released the mission patch, which includes a nod to each of the travelers. 

According to the Blue Origin website, a few of the symbols embedded include:

  • The microchip, gears and Pi symbols represent Amy Medina Jorge’s commitment to elevating Hispanic representation in STEM fields. 
  • Dr. Gretchen Green is represented by the caduceus, recognizing her career as a radiologist specializing in women’s imaging. 
  • The planets inside the mission number represent Paul Jeris’ passion for space and exploration. 
  • The kea parrot represents Mark Rocket’s home country of New Zealand.
  • Jesse Williams is represented by the bike gears and Mt. Everest, showcasing his passion for cycling and climbing mountains. 
  • The blue sky represents Jaime Alemán’s philosophy behind pursuing his own goals—and supporting others in reaching theirs.

Mission NS-32 will mark the first manned mission since Bezos's company sent pop star Katy Perry and talk show host Gayle King, along with a number of notable women astronauts, into space. 

The New Shepard spacecraft, named for pioneering Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, is a fully reusable, suborbital rocket system that takes passengers on an 11-minute journey to the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.