Blue Origin - New Shepard - NS-38 - Launch Site One, Texas - January 22, 2026

Blue Origin today announced the crew and launch date for New Shepard Mission NS-38. Liftoff from Launch Site One in West Texas is slated for Thursday, January 22. The launch window opens at 10:00 AM CST / 1600 UTC / 17:00 CET

The crew includes Tim Drexler, Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren, and Laura Stilles (Blue Origin's Director of New Shepard Launch Operations). To date, Blue Origin has flown 92 humans (86 individuals) above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. Live launch coverage on BlueOrigin.com will start 30 minutes prior to launch.

About New Shepard by Blue Origin
Function: Launching tourists and cargo on a suborbital trajectory
Manufacturer: Blue Origin
Country of origin: United States of America
1st mission of 2026, 38th mission in total for New Shepard

Height: 19.2m (63ft)
Diameter: 3.8 m (12.5 ft)
Mass: 75,000 kg (165,000 lb)
Stages: 1
Launch sites: Launch Site One, West Texas
Total launches: 37
Success(es): 35
Failure(s): 1
Landings: 33
First flight: 29 April 2015; 10 years ago

Single stage
Powered by 1 × BE-3
Maximum thrust: 490 kN (110,000 lbf)
Burn time: 141 seconds
Propellant: LH2 / LOX

Crew Capsule
Pressurized crew capsule with room for six people, environmentally controlled for comfort, and with among the largest windows to have flown in space.

Ring & Wedge Fins
Aerodynamically designed to stabilize the booster and reduce fuel use on its flight back to Earth.

Drag Brakes
Deploy from the ring fin to reduce the booster's speed by half on its descent from space.

BE-3PM Engine
Propels the rocket to space and restarts to uniquely slow the booster down to just 6 mph (9.7 km/h) for a controlled pinpoint landing on the pad.

Aft Fins
Stabilize the vehicle during ascent, steer it back to the landing pad on the descent, and guide the rocket through airspeeds over Mach 3.

Landing Gear
Deploys for the touchdown.