Engineer becomes first wheelchair user in space

An engineer from Germany has become the first person in the world to travel into space in a wheelchair.

Micaela Benteus, who injured her spinal cord in a mountain biking accident seven years ago, contacted a retired space 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. Benthouse and five others took off from Texas on Saturday and reached a point above the so-called “frontier” of space, known as the Karman Line.

“This is the coolest experience!” she said after landing in a video shared by Blue Origin.

“Not only did I love the scenery and microgravity, but I also loved the ascent. Every stage of the ascent was so cool.”

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

Ms Benthaus, who works for the European Space Agency, said that after the accident she “really, really discovered how inaccessible our world still is for people with disabilities”.

She entered the capsule herself from a wheelchair, using a bench that extended from the hatch.

Hans Koenigsmann, a retired SpaceX manager who helped organize the trip, was strapped nearby to help during the flight if needed.

“I first met Hans online,” Ms. Benthaus said. “I just asked him, you know, you’ve been at SpaceX for so long, do you think someone like me could be an astronaut?”

Koenigsman said Ms. Benthouse “basically inspired me to do this.” “It was her drive that made me believe that I should do the same and just experience what I had seen from the outside for a long time,” he said.

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

“Mickey’s flight is particularly meaningful and shows that space is for everyone, and we are proud to help her realize that dream,” said New Shepard Senior Vice President Phil Joyce.

This mission is the 16th suborbital space tourism launch mission carried out by Blue Origin, and its cost has not yet been disclosed.

The company has sent dozens of tourists to space. In April, pop star Katy Perry, Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sanchez and CBS host Gayle King Six women aboard Blue Origin rocket into space Flight time is approximately 11 minutes.

The high-profile flights come as private space companies fiercely compete to dominate space tourism.