Though 'deeply disappointed' by the one-day postponement, the 'Star Trek' actor still cannot wait to get into space as part of the crew on board Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.
- October 12, 2021
AceShowbiz - "Star Trek" icon William Shatner can't wait to get into space as part of the crew on board Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, but he hopes he doesn't see any aliens.
The TV veteran will blast off with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' latest Blue Origin mission on Wednesday, October 13, alongside Bezos' vice president of Mission and Flight Operations Audrey Powers, former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen and healthcare entrepreneur Glen De Vries.
At 90, Shatner will become the oldest person ever to go into space. "I plan to be looking out the window with my nose pressed against the window and the one thing I don't want to see is a little gremlin looking back at me," he says.
The 11-minute flight will blast off in the same rocket that took Bezos and his crew into space two months ago. That was Blue Origin's first mission.
Shatner will get to experience weightlessness and a view of earth few see during his out-of-this-world trip. The launch was supposed to take place on Tuesday morning, but it has been delayed a day due to high winds.
"I'm deeply disappointed because I was building up the enthusiastic response and now we've gotta wait another day, but it is really worth it," the actor tells "Good Morning America". "What's a day with this extraordinary experience?"
The mission, dubbed NS18, is set to liftoff at 6:30 A.M. PT (8:30 A.M. CT) on Wednesday, Oct. 13. Live coverage from Blue Origin is set to begin 90 minutes earlier and will be streamed live. CNET will livestream the launch.
