Engineer becomes first wheelchair user to go to space

An engineer from Germany has become the world’s first wheelchair user to go into space.

Michaela Benthaus, who suffered a spinal cord injury in a mountain biking accident seven years ago, reached out to a retired aerospace engineer online to see if her dream of becoming an astronaut was still possible.

He later helped organize the historic 10-minute flight with Blue Origin, the space tourism company founded by Jeff Bezos.

Ms. Benthaus and five others took off from Texas on Saturday and arrived at a point just above the so-called “frontier” of space known as the Kármán line.

“It was the most amazing experience!” he said after landing in a video shared by Blue Origin.

“Not only did I enjoy the view and the microgravity, but I also loved going up. Every part of going up was beautiful.”

Blue Origin’s reusable suborbital launch vehicle New Shepard lifted off from the company’s Texas launch pad at 14:15 GMT.

Ms Benthaus, who works for the European Space Agency, said after her accident she “really, truly realized how inaccessible our world still is for disabled people”.

He made his own way from his wheelchair to the capsule, using a bench extending from the hatch.

Retired SpaceX executive Hans Koenigsmann, who helped organize the trip, was stationed nearby to provide in-flight assistance if needed.

“I first met Hans online,” said Ms. Benthaus. “You just told him that you worked for SpaceX for so long, do you think people like me can be astronauts?” I asked.

Ms. Benthaus “basically inspired me to do this,” Koenigsmann said. “His drive convinced me to do this too and experience something I had seen from the outside for a long time,” he said.

Blue Origin said ground support equipment was added to help Ms. Benthaus get in and out of the capsule.

“Michi’s flight is especially meaningful, showing that space is for everyone, and we are proud to help him realize his dream,” said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard.

The cost of the mission, which is Blue Origin’s 16th suborbital space tourism launch, was not disclosed.

The company has taken dozens of tourists into space. In April, pop star Katy Perry, Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez and CBS host Gayle King met. Among six women launched into space by Blue Origin rocket for a flight lasting approximately 11 minutes.

The high-profile flights come at a time when private space companies are fiercely competing for supremacy in space tourism.