The uncrewed mission, designated NS-35, is scheduled to lift-off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Saturday, 23 August at 7:30am CDT (12:30 UTC). A live webcast will begin 15 minutes prior to launch.
This will be the program’s 35th mission, taking the total number of payloads flown on New Shepard past 200. The mission will provide more than three minutes of microgravity for experiments from universities, research institutions and industry partners.
Among the payloads are 24 student experiments developed through NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge, which gives US secondary students hands-on experience in engineering, computing and electronics. Projects include investigations into space farming, medical technologies and fluid behaviour in microgravity.
Blue Origin’s non-profit organisation, Club for the Future, is also flying thousands of postcards created by students. The program aims to inspire future generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics (STEAM). Since its inception, the initiative has engaged nearly 95 million people worldwide.
Other mission highlights include:
- A.R.E.S. (Ecoatoms): the first experiment designed to test chemical coatings in microgravity using 432 sensors coated simultaneously.
- Biological Imaging in Support of Suborbital Science (University of Florida): building on International Space Station technology to better understand biological responses to spaceflight.
- Propellant Refuelling and On-Orbit Transfer Operations (Carthage College): developing techniques to measure spacecraft fuel levels and detect liquid-vapour interfaces for future in-space refuelling.
- EDR Fuel Cell (Teledyne): testing hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell systems that could generate power and water for long-term missions to the moon and Mars.
- Teachers in Space: experiments designed by teachers and students, investigating radiation, sound levels and environmental data in microgravity.
The mission will fly aboard Blue Origin’s dedicated payload capsule RSS H.G. Wells, paired with the newest New Shepard booster. The same vehicle combination flew on the NS-29 mission, which successfully demonstrated lunar gravity simulation inside the capsule.
Participating organisations include NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Oklahoma State University, University of Florida, Carthage College, University of Central Florida, Teledyne, Space Lab Technologies, and Teachers in Space.
With each launch, Blue Origin says New Shepard continues to expand opportunities for research and education in space, advancing technologies that could support future exploration missions.