In First, Wheelchair User Set To Go To Space

By Shaun Heasley

DisabilityScoop.com

An upcoming Blue Origin flight will mark a first for people with disabilities.

The company said its next mission will include Michaela “Michi” Benthaus, an aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency who uses a wheelchair.

Benthaus will be one of six passengers on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which will travel above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.

Benthaus has used a wheelchair since a 2018 mountain biking accident left her with a spinal cord injury.

“I’m beyond excited,” Benthaus said in a social media post. “I thought my dream of going to space had ended forever when I had my accident. But over the past few months, I’ve been working with an amazing and supportive team to make it possible for a wheelchair user to take part in a suborbital flight, something that’s never been done before.”

Previously, Benthaus has flown on a Zero-G research flight and participated in an analog astronaut mission, which simulates a space mission.

The upcoming mission will be the 37th for Blue Origin’s New Shepard, a fully autonomous vehicle. The 62-mile trip lasts 11 minutes, allowing travelers to experience “several minutes of weightlessness” and see “life-changing views of Earth,” the company said.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Michi onboard New Shepard. Our mission is to make space accessible to everyone, and this is a meaningful step towards that future and an inspiration for others to see what’s possible,” a Blue Origin spokesperson told Disability Scoop.

No date has been announced for the flight.

“This feels like an important step since space travel for people with disabilities is still in its very early days,” Benthaus said. “I might be the first — but have no intention of being the last.”