New Shepard returns to crewed flight on NS-25 after the 2022 failure; one of three main parachutes fails to open

Blue Origin/New Shepard

New Shepard flew six people on NS-25 on May 19, 2024, its first crewed flight since a 2022 booster failure. Passengers included Ed Dwight, 90, once a candidate to be the first Black astronaut, alongside five other space tourists. One of three main parachutes failed to deploy fully due to an uncus control line, but the capsule is designed to land safely on two parachutes; the crew was unharmed.

• Launch: May 19, 2024, from West Texas.
• Six passengers: Ed Dwight (90, first Black astronaut candidate, President Kennedy-nominated 1961), five others.
• Flight duration: ~10 minutes to suborbital space.
• Parachute issue: one of three main parachutes did not fully open (control line not cut); system designed for safe two-parachute landing.
• Landing: 9:45 a.m. local time; crew unharmed and evaluated.