US: Blue Origin makes history with first spaceflight by wheelchair user
- StringersHub
- Updated
SHOTLIST TEXAS, UNITED STATES (DEC. 20, 2025) (USERS MUST CREDIT “BLUE ORIGIN” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO —EDITORIAL USE ONLY- NO RESALE) 1. BLUE ORIGIN ROCKET ON LAUNCH PAD 2. GERMAN ENGINEER MICHAELA BENTHAUS, FIRST WHEELCHAIR USER TO BE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE, BEING HELPED TO GET INTO CAPSULE 3. BLUE ORIGIN ROCKET ON LAUNCH PAD 4. DRONE SHOT OF BLUE ORIGIN ROCKET ON LAUNCH PAD 5. VARIOUS OF BLUE ORIGIN ROCKET BEING LAUNCHED 6. ROCKET IN SPACE 7. VARIOUS OF ROCKET BOOSTER HEADING BACK TO EARTH 8. DUST RISING FROM THE GROUND AS BOOSTER LANDS 9. VARIOUS OF CAPSULE WITH PARACHUTES DEPLOYED, CARRYING PASSENGERS HEADING BACK TO EARTH 10. DRONE SHOT OF CAPSULE ON GROUND 11. DRONE SHOT OF RECOVERY CREWS ARPUND CAPSULE 12. PHOTOGRAPHER NEXT TO CAPSULE, TAKING PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THROUGH WINDOW OF CAPSULE 13. ASTRONAUTS GETTING OF CAPSULE WITH HEPL OF RECOVERY CREW MEMBERS (2 SHOTS) 14. VARIOUS OF BENTHAUS BEING HELPED OUT OF THE CAPSULE BY HER FELLOW PASSENGER HANS KOENIGSMANN (left) 15. BENTHAUS WAVING AS SHE EMERGES FROM THE CAPSULE 16. BENTHAUS BEING HELPED INTO HER WHEELCHAIR, APPLAUSE 17. BENTHAUS WHEELING HERSELF AWAY FROM CAPSULE 18. WOMAN HUGGING BENTHAUS 19. BENTHAUS BEING INTERVIEWED 20. SOUNDBITE) (English) GERMAN ENGINEER MICHAELA BENTHAUS, FIRST WHEELCHAIR USER TO BE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE, SAYING: "I think you should never give up on your dreams, right? But, I mean, there's also sometimes just a low probability that it comes true. And I just got very lucky, and I'm very grateful that Blue and Hans and everyone said yes to this journey." 21. INTERVIEWER HUGGING BENTHAUS TEXAS, UNITED STATES (DEC. 20, 2025) (USERS MUST CREDIT “BLUE ORIGIN” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO —EDITORIAL USE ONLY- NO RESALE) Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft achieved a historic milestone on Saturday by carrying the first wheelchair user past the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The passenger, German aerospace engineer Michaela "Michi" Benthaus, is an engineer with the European Space Agency. The uncrewed rocket lifted off from Blue Origin's launch site in West Texas at 9:15 a.m. EST (1415 GMT). The mission, designated NS-25, carried six individuals on a brief suborbital journey. Aerospace engineer Michi Benthaus , who sustained a spinal cord injury following a mountain biking accident in 2018, has since been a prominent advocate for accessible space travel. Her flight marks a significant step toward inclusivity in human spaceflight. "I think you should never give up on your dreams, right? I mean, there's also sometimes just a low probability that it comes true. And I just got very lucky," Benthaus stated after the capsule's safe, parachute-assisted landing in the Texas desert. The other passengers on the flight were Joey Hyde, Hans Koenigsmann, Neal Milch, Adonis Pouroulis, and Jason Stiesle. Together, the crew experienced several minutes of weightlessness at the apex of the flight, exceeding an altitude of 100 kilometers. Writing by Sibel Uygun
As featured on
A paraplegic engineer has become the first wheelchair user in space, blasting off with Blue Origin.
Latest video
View this profile on Instagram#ThisIsTucson 🌵 (@this_is_tucson) • Instagram photos and videos
Most viewed stories
-
A list of places that will be open on Christmas Day 2025
-
Ring in 2026 at these fun local New Year's Eve events 🥳
-
Over 40 free events happening in Tucson this December! ⛄
-
40 exciting things to do in Tucson December 19-21! ⭐
-
A local gift guide for the foodie in your life 🍽️
-
3 teaspoons of anise, 6 cups of flour and lots of love: My grandma's biscochitos recipe is more than a delicious cookie
-
Save the date! Here's the ultimate list of Tucson holiday events 🎄
-
More than 40 fun events in Tucson, December 12-14! ❄️✨



