Blue Origin Announces Crew for 10th New Shepard Crew Mission

Blue Origin has unveiled the six-member crew set to fly aboard its upcoming NS-30 mission, marking the 10th human flight for the New Shepard program and its 30th overall mission.

The confirmed crew members include Lane Bess, Jesús Calleja, Elaine Chia Hyde, Dr. Richard Scott, and Tushar Shah, with undisclosed sixth astronaut. Among them, Lane Bess will become the fourth person to fly on New Shepard twice.

New Shepard's Ongoing Legacy

Since its first crewed flight in July 2021, New Shepard has now carried 47 people beyond the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space at 100 km (62 miles) above Earth. The vehicle is designed for suborbital missions, offering passengers a few minutes of weightlessness and a breathtaking view of the planet before safely returning to Earth.

Meet the Crew of NS-30

Lane Bess

"Lane is the Principal and Founder of Bess Ventures and Advisory, a family office fund supporting technology firms that innovate and disrupt across multiple market sectors. He has led and built some of the world’s largest cybersecurity companies, including Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler, both of which he helped lead to IPO. Lane also serves as a Trustee at Carnegie Mellon University and supports philanthropic interests across health and social issues. Lane first flew to space on NS-19 on December 11, 2021. "

Jesús Calleja

"Jesús is a Spanish TV host, mountaineer, pilot, and lifelong adventurer. He currently hosts Calleja Planet, Flying By, and Calleja Universe, which air on Mediaset channels in Spain. Jesús’s adventures have taken him to every corner of the world, including the Seven Summits, the North and South Poles, and numerous deserts, active volcanoes, and ancient sinkholes. A passionate race car driver, Jesús has participated in numerous international racing competitions, including four editions of the Dakar Rally and a 3,400-mile journey from the French Pyrenees to Dakar, Senegal.  "

Elaine Chia Hyde

"Elaine is an entrepreneur, physicist, and pilot. She is the founder of Chicago Star, a news and media company, and Eastside Enterprises, a research and development company focused on AI-assisted media products. Elaine was born in Singapore and grew up in Australia. Space has captivated her imagination since childhood. A graduate of the University of Melbourne, she studied business and physics with the goal of inventing experiments to be conducted in space. Elaine soon immigrated to the United States, where she worked as an intern at the University of Pennsylvania and later became a research scientist. Elaine, her husband, also a physicist, and their five children live in Florida. "

Dr. Richard Scott

"Dr. Scott is a reproductive endocrinologist, embryologist, professor, research scientist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and avid pilot. He was a founding partner and CEO of IVIRMA Global, the world’s largest fertility care group with clinics and laboratories in 10 countries. Dr. Scott is an adjunct professor at Yale University and the University of South Carolina (Greenville) Medical Schools, and founded The Foundation for Embryonic Competence, a nonprofit focused on reproduction research, where he also serves as Scientific Director. He has served on the national boards of Directors of the Resolve and the American Fertility Associations, the two largest patient advocacy organizations for fertility care. He and his wife have been married for 45 years and have four children. "

Tushar Shah

"Tushar is a partner and the co-head of research at a quantitative hedge fund in New York City. He studied physics as an undergraduate at MIT and high energy experimental particle physics for his PhD, also at MIT. He and his wife, Sara, are philanthropists focused on addressing issues related to poverty, health, and education. They have two children. "

Mission Date

The launch date for NS-30 is yet to be announced, but the mission will follow Blue Origin’s established suborbital spaceflight profile.

Passengers will experience a brief but transformative journey past the Kármán line, enjoying microgravity and a panoramic view of Earth before returning in the capsule for a parachute-assisted landing.