Wheelchair user makes historic suborbital spaceflight with Blue Origin

A wheelchair-bound passenger has travelled into space for the first time, marking a historic milestone for accessibility in space tourism. German aerospace engineer Michaela Benthaus flew on a Blue Origin suborbital mission on Saturday, becoming the first known wheelchair user to cross the boundary of space.

Benthaus, who became paraplegic following an accident, flew aboard Jeff Bezos–founded Blue Origin’s fully automated New Shepard rocket alongside five other passengers. The mission launched from West Texas shortly after 8:15 a.m. local time and lasted around ten minutes, during which the capsule crossed the Kármán line at 100 kilometres altitude before returning safely to the desert under parachutes.

In a video released by Blue Origin, Benthaus highlighted broader accessibility challenges, saying the experience underscored how much work remains to make society truly inclusive. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the achievement, calling it an inspiration to millions.

Blue Origin has now flown more than 80 people on suborbital missions, including high-profile figures such as William Shatner and Katy Perry. While competing with Virgin Galactic in space tourism, the company is also pursuing orbital ambitions, having completed two uncrewed flights of its more powerful New Glenn rocket this year.