Michaela Benthaus, a German engineer has become the first wheelchair user to travel to space, completing a suborbital flight aboard a Blue Origin rocket that reached the edge of space before safely returning to Earth.
A 33-year-old paraplegic aerospace engineer from Germany, Michaela Benthaus flew more than 65 miles (105 kilometers) above Earth’s surface on a 10-minute mission launched from West Texas. The flight was conducted using Blue Origin’s autonomous New Shepard spacecraft, marking a milestone for accessibility in commercial space travel.
Michaela Benthaus, who uses a wheelchair following a mountain biking accident seven years ago, was one of six passengers on the suborbital mission. She was accompanied by Hans Koenigsmann, a retired SpaceX executive also born in Germany, who helped organize and sponsor her participation in the flight. Financial details of the trip were not disclosed.
The mission required only limited modifications to accommodate Michaela Benthaus, according to Blue Origin. Adjustments included the use of a patient transfer board to allow movement between the capsule hatch and seating area, as well as accessibility planning during boarding and recovery operations. An elevator was already in place at the launch site to transport passengers to the capsule, which sits atop the rocket approximately seven storeys above ground.
After landing, the recovery team deployed a carpet on the desert floor to provide immediate access to Michaela Benthaus’s wheelchair, which remained on the ground during liftoff. Koenigsmann was designated as her emergency support crew member and assisted her during post-flight procedures.
Blue Origin said the New Shepard capsule was designed with accessibility considerations, enabling participation by individuals with varying physical abilities. Previous flights have included passengers with limited mobility, sensory impairments and elderly participants, including individuals in their 90s.
Michaela Benthaus is currently part of the European Space Agency’s graduate trainee program based in the Netherlands. She has previously experienced brief periods of weightlessness during parabolic aircraft flights in 2022 and participated in a two-week simulated space mission in Poland less than two years later.
Image credits: Blue Origin | Cropped by GBN
The flight was a private mission and did not involve the European Space Agency. Earlier this year, the ESA approved reserve astronaut John McFall, an amputee and former British Paralympian, for potential future missions to the International Space Station, marking separate progress in inclusive spaceflight initiatives.
Michaela Benthaus’s mission adds to Blue Origin’s growing list of commercial space travelers, bringing the company’s total number of passengers to 86. Founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2000, Blue Origin conducted its first human spaceflight in 2021 and continues to expand its operations, including orbital launches and lunar lander development.
The successful flight highlights ongoing efforts within the private space sector to broaden access to space travel and advance inclusive design in aerospace technologies.
