The company shared this change on Twitter, saying that a sixth crew member would be announced in the coming days and that the mission has moved to March 29 (from March 24).
Neither Blue Origin nor Pete Davidson shared any details on the reason for the change.
Now, the crew of NS-20 consists of Marty Allen, Sharon Hagle, Marc Hagle, Jim Kitchen, Dr. George Nield, and the sixth member yet to be announced.
Marty Allen is the former CEO of Party America, where he “lead the company through a bankruptcy restructuring and the acquisition of several competitors,” and former CEO of California Closet Company, where he lead the company to record profitability.
Sharon Hagle founded SpaceKids Global backing 2015. Through annual challenges, the nonprofit aims to inspire kids to pursue careers in space industries. The nonprofit has reached over 100,00 students, in part through its partnership with Girl Scouts of Citrus County. She is joined by her husband, Marc Hagle, who is the president and CEO of Tricor International, a property development company.
Jim Kitchen is a lifelong space fan and explorer. From watching Apollo launches as a child to promoting LEO trips with a startup in his college days, after visiting every U.N. recognized country it is only fitting that space is his next stop.
Dr. George Nield is the president of Commercial Space Technologies LLC. The former associate administrator of the FAA’s company is designed to promote and facilitate space activities. He previously served as the manager of the Flight Integration Office on the Space Shuttle program.
While each of these passengers is notable in their own right, Blue Origin has put a more traditional celebrity on each flight thus far, starting with Jeff Bezos himself, then William Shatner, then Michael Strahan.
It will be interesting to see whether or not Blue Origin opts to invite another celebrity, as having a celebrity on board will certainly bring the launch to more public attention.
