Tumbarumba-raised Chris Boshuizen became the third Australian to travel to space early Thursday morning, with the successful launch and return of Blue Origin's New Shepherd rocket.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Boshuizen, a physicist and former NASA engineer, was joined on the trip by 90-year-old Star Trek actor William Shatner - known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk.
The on-flight crew also included Audrey Powers, Blue Origin vice president, and Glen de Vries, vice chair for life sciences and healthcare at the French software company Dassault Systèmes.
The Blue Origin spacecraft took off from the Texas desert in the early hours of Thursday morning, the trip broadcast online to audiences across the world.
The suborbital trip lasted about ten minutes and landed at around 2.00am Australian time. It was the second crewed space journey by Blue Origin's New Shepherd rocket - the company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.
Those on board experienced a short period of weightlessness and were able to view the curvature of Earth, witnessing the planet from a new perspective very few will ever see first-hand.
"We think it's just so wonderful for him that he's fulfilling his dream," she said.
"I'm just hoping that all the people watching, kids especially, will know that your dreams are possible and do come true - you've just gotta go for it."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Actor Mr Shatner became the oldest person to travel to space at 90, and was overcome with emotion upon returning to Earth.
"What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine. I'm so filled with emotion about what just happened," he told Mr Bezos.
"I hope I never recover, that I can maintain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it. It's so much larger than me and life."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters