‘Star Trek’ Actor William Shatner Is Going to Space on Jeff Bezos’ Rocket

Captain Kirk is going to space — for real this time. Today, Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin announced that 90-year-old Star Trek alum William Shatner will be on the next Blue Origin flight on October 12, making him the oldest person to travel into outer space.

“I’ve heard about space for a long time now,” Shatner said in a press release. “I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle.”

The actor has been synonymous with Captain James T. Kirk since his character first appeared on the original Star Trek series. Shatner went on to reprise the role in seven Star Trek movies, including one he directed (1979’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier).

 

The next Blue Origin space flight is planned for October 12. Shatner will join Blue Origin’s VP of mission and flight operations, Audrey Powers, as well as Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries. The journey is expected to take 11 minutes, allowing the New Shepard NS-18 flight to pass the Kármán Line (aka the internationally recognized boundary of space). According to TMZ, Shatner’s flight will be filmed as part of a documentary.

According to a press release, he has “long wanted to travel to space.” The Star Trek actor currently hosts and executive produces the History Channel’s The UnXplained, which explores inexplicable mysteries, including stories about aliens and UFOs.

Shatner’s October 12 flight follows Blue Origin’s first successful human flight on July 20, in which Amazon’s own Jeff Bezos traveled to space. Recently, the company has been under fire amid sexual harassment allegations and questions about safety protocols.

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