Blue Origin, the private space company owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is reportedly aiming to launch its first space flight with passengers on board by April of this year.
After launching its 14th test flight of the company’s New Shepard rocket booster and capsule on Thursday, the company is aiming to have another test by late February and a flight with passengers by early April, according to sources for CNBC.
Blue Origin, which was founded by Bezos in 2000, declined the outlet’s request for comment on the New Shepard’s timeline.
Thursday’s test flight, the NS-14, featured a new booster and upgraded capsule. The NS-14 and the next flight are reportedly “stable configuration” tests, meaning the company will likely refrain from making any major changes to the setup before the second flight.
The New Shepard is designed to carry passengers just past the edge of space and spend 10 minutes in zero gravity before heading back to Earth.
Upgrades for the NS-14 “include improvements to environmental features such as acoustics and temperature regulation inside the capsule, crew display panels, and speakers with a microphone and push-to-talk button at each seat,” according to Blue Origin. It added that the mission would “also test a number of astronaut communication and safety alert systems.”
Thursday’s launch represents just one more step toward the future of space tourism.
