posted 10-01-2025 11:16 AM               

Blue Origin Announces Crew for New Shepard’s 36th Mission

Blue Origin today (Oct. 1) announced the next crew flying on its NS-36 mission. The crew includes: Jeff Elgin, Danna Karagussova, Dr. Clint Kelly III, Aaron Newman, Vitalii Ostrovsky, and an undisclosed sixth crew member who asked to remain anonymous until after the flight. Clint is flying for the second time; he previously flew on NS-22.

This mission is the 15th human flight for the New Shepard program. To date, Blue Origin has flown 75 people, including five repeat customers, above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The flight date will be announced soon.

Meet the Crew

• Jeff Elgin
  Jeff has been an executive in the franchise industry for over 40 years. He founded FranChoice in 2000, building it into a premier franchisee referral network with offices across the United States. FranChoice guides aspiring owners through the franchise search, matching them with opportunities that fit their goals and strengths. Driven by a passion for helping others realize their dreams, Jeff has grown FranChoice into a resource that has assisted more than 500,000 people over the past 25 years in pursuing business ownership and the American Dream.
  
  
• Danna Karagussova
  Danna has more than 25 years of experience in media, distribution, and events. She co-founded Portals, a multimodal ecosystem that features digital self-regulation tools that fuse art and science. A visionary and hands-on creator, she turns bold ideas into reality. A lifelong mountaineer, she has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Elbrus as expressions of inner strength. She now looks to space—not as entertainment, but as a transformative frontier where human evolution begins within each of us and extends beyond our world.
  
  
• Dr. Clint Kelly III
  Clint is an electrical engineer with a Bachelor of Science from Duke University and a PhD from the University of Michigan, who led government and industry R&D in computer science and robotics. At DARPA in 1984, he launched the Autonomous Land Vehicle project, catalyzing today’s driverless cars. He conducted space-sensing research for national security, funds university rocket teams, and has served on corporate boards and university advisory councils. With his wife, he has photographed wildlife on every continent—from big cats and polar bears to all 21 penguin species—and authored a 486-page penguin book. Clint first flew to space on NS-22 on August 4, 2022.
  
  
• Aaron Newman
  Aaron is a serial entrepreneur and explorer. He founded five successful software startups, authored multiple books, and holds six patents. As an explorer, he has traveled to the stern of the Titanic, descended into the Mariana Trench, and twice attempted to summit Mt. Everest. He founded Exploring Our Deep World, a non-profit organization advancing education, conservation, scientific research, and exploration of Earth’s deep waters. A proud U.S. Army veteran of the First Gulf War, Aaron serves on the boards of TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) and the Strong National Museum of Play. He is also the father of two children, Thomas and Evelyn.
  
  
• Vitalii Ostrovsky
  Vitalii is a Ukrainian businessman, hotel and real estate investor, systems analyst, web developer, and relentless globetrotter. Over the past decade, he has lived in more than 100 countries on every continent, roaming from the Arctic Circle to the ice of Antarctica. He applies a systems mindset to business and technology while building and investing in hospitality and property ventures. Now he sets his sights on the next frontier, space, pursuing a journey that extends his life of exploration beyond Earth.

posted 10-04-2025 05:50 PM               

The launch will be webcast starting 30 minutes before the scheduled liftoff.

...and an undisclosed sixth crew member who asked to remain anonymous until after the flight.

posted 10-08-2025 08:14 AM               

Blue Origin’s 36th New Shepard flight and 15th crewed mission will liftoff from Launch Site One in West Texas on Wednesday, October 8.

posted 10-08-2025 09:05 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
...the last name of the sixth crew member is "Lewis."

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Will is the former Co-Founder, President, and Chief Financial Officer of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and previously spent more than 10 years working in investment banking in the U.S. and Europe. He also previously worked for the U.S. government.

Will holds a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Oberlin College as well as a Master of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor with Honors from Case Western Reserve University. Will is the Chair of the board of directors of NewAmsterdam Pharma.

posted 10-08-2025 09:15 AM               

• The crew capsule reached an apogee of 346,791 ft AGL / 350,438 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL).

• The booster reached an apogee of 346,426 ft AGL / 350,073 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL).

• Official launch time was 8:40:27 AM CDT / 13:40:27 UTC.

• Capsule landing occurred at 8:50:48 AM CDT / 13:50:48 UTC.

• The mission elapsed time was 10 min 21 sec.