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William Shatner travels to space aboard Blue Origin rocket

By Michelle Ewing and Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Michelle Ewing and Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

VAN HORN, Texas — William Shatner on Wednesday became the oldest person to travel into space when he embarked on his first real-life journey into the final frontier on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket and capsule.

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The 90-year-old actor, who famously portrayed Capt. James T. Kirk from 1966 to 1969 in the original Star Trek series, in several Star Trek movies between 1979 and 1994 and numerous other times over the course of the franchise’s history, blasted off from Van Horn alongside Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations, Audrey Powers, and crewmates Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries.

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Shatner to space William Shatner, second from left, raises his hand while speaking with Audrey Powers, left, Chris Boshuizen, second from right and Glen de Vries raises during a media availability at the Blue Origin spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (LM Otero/AP)

Update 11:22 a.m. EDT Oct. 13: Actor William Shatner expressed awe Wednesday after traveling to space on a Blue Origin rocket.

“What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine,” Shatner told Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos following the flight.

“I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened. I just, it’s extraordinary. Extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it -- it’s so, so much larger than me and life.”

He said he saw beautiful soft blue light as the flight traveled further away from Earth before it broke into darkness.

“In an instant you go, ‘Wow, that’s death,’” he said. “That’s what I saw. I am overwhelmed. I had no idea.”

Update 11:14 a.m. EDT Oct. 13: Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos popped champagne Wednesday after the New Shepard capsule landed safely following a flight to space.

“Everybody in the world needs to do this,” an emotional William Shatner said after exiting the capsule. “Everybody in the world needs to see. It was unbelievable.”

Update 11 a.m. EDT Oct. 13: The New Shepard capsule has touched down after heading into space Wednesday morning with actor William Shatner and three others onboard.

Update 10:55 a.m. EDT Oct. 13: Officials with Blue Origin said the people abroad the New Shepard NS-18, including actor William Shatner, “are getting out of their seats and experiencing weightlessness” minutes after taking off from Van Horn.

Update 10:50 a.m. EDT Oct. 13: The New Shepard NS-18 has lifted off from Van Horn, beginning an 11-minute flight into space.

Update 10:35 a.m. EDT Oct. 13: The countdown clock for Wednesday’s launch has restarted after being being paused at 15 minutes as Blue Origin prepares for the as the New Shepard NS-18 to launch into space.

The rocket is set to take off around 10:50 a.m.

Blue Origin shared messages Wednesday from crew members on Blue Origin’s first flight in July to those waiting to take off.

Wally Funk, the 82-year-old who in July became the oldest person to fly to space, said she hoped “this flight will be the most fantastic experience of your life, as it was mine.”

>> Related: Who is Wally Funk, the 82-year-old woman who just went to space?

The youngest person to fly into space, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, wished the crew well and said, “I can assure you that it will better than your best imagination.”

Update 10:07 a.m. EDT Oct. 13: The crew of the New Shepard NS-18 are in final preparations for takeoff from Van Horn on Wednesday morning after a brief delay to give mission teams time to analyze winds near the launchpad, according to Blue Origin and The New York Times.

>> Related: Weather delays Capt. Kirk’s flight: William Shatner will blast off Wednesday

Original report: William Shatner is set to embark on his first real-life journey into space.

According to The Associated Press, the 90-year-old “Star Trek” actor is scheduled to board Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule and rocket Wednesday morning before heading to the edge of the final frontier. Three other people – crew members Glen de Vries, Chris Boshuizen and Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations – will accompany Shatner on the 10-minute flight, which lifts off at 9 a.m. CDT from Van Horn, Texas.

In a video shared Tuesday on Instagram, Shatner shared his enthusiasm for his upcoming trip and praised Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, who flew to space aboard the same capsule and rocket on July 20.

>> Related: Jeff Bezos launches into space

“Jeff Bezos’ concept to make living and building in space, and to make pollution a thing of the past – what noble ambitions those are, and somebody has to start them,” Shatner said in the video. “We’re just at the beginning, but how miraculous that beginning it is, how extraordinary it is to be part of that beginning.”

Wednesday’s flight comes more than three months after Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson traveled to space aboard his own rocket on July 11, according to the AP. In September, SpaceX also sent an all-civilian crew into orbit, although company founder Elon Musk did not join them, the AP reported.

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Photos: William Shatner through the years Here are some memorable moments from actor William Shatner's life in the public eye. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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