VAN HORN, Texas — Blue Origin has successfully launched humans into space aboard New Shepard.
Onboard were Blue Origin's founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, 82-year-old Willie "Wally" Funk, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, who expressed nothing less than excitement upon their return to Earth.
"Best day ever," one of the Bezos' brothers shouted.
KHOU 11 reporter Xavier Walton and photojournalist Sergio Soto are in West Texas covering the historic launch. They will have more on this launch on KHOU 11 News at Noon.
Watch moments from the launch in the videos below:
It was Blue Origin's first flight with people on board after 15 test flights. Amazong founder Jeff Bezos blasted into space Tuesday with a hand-picked group that included his younger brother, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands and an 82-year-old aviation pioneer from Texas. They’re the youngest and oldest to ever hurtle off the planet. Their capsule landed 10 minutes later on the desert floor in West Texas. Named after America’s first astronaut, the New Shepard rocket soared on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Where was the launch?
Blue Origin's New Shepard launched from West Texas, near Van Horn, Texas, which is about an eight-hour drive from Houston.
In 2003, Bezos bought thousands of acres about 25 miles north of town to build Blue Origin’s Launch Site One.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
