Meet The Crew Of Blue Origin’s 30th New Shepard Flight

Blue Origin has announced the six-member crew set to fly on its upcoming NS-30 mission, marking the 10th human spaceflight for the New Shepard program and its 30th mission overall. Among the selected astronauts is Lane Bess, making his second journey aboard the suborbital spacecraft. The full crew list includes Lane Bess, Jesús Calleja, Elaine Chia Hyde, Dr. Richard Scott, Tushar Shah, and a yet-to-be-revealed sixth crew member.

With this flight, New Shepard will have carried a total of 47 people beyond the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The mission represents another milestone in Blue Origin’s ongoing effort to expand access to commercial spaceflight.

Meet the Crew

The group of passengers scheduled to fly on NS-30 brings together expertise from fields as varied as cybersecurity, adventure journalism, physics, reproductive medicine, and finance. Each astronaut has a unique story that underscores the growing accessibility of commercial spaceflight, reflecting Blue Origin’s mission to enable people from all walks of life to experience the wonders of space.

Lane Bess

Lane Bess is the Principal and Founder of Bess Ventures and Advisory, a family office fund that invests in disruptive technology firms across various industries. A key figure in the cybersecurity sector, Bess played a pivotal role in leading Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler to successful IPOs. Bess first flew to space on NS-19 on December 11, 2021, and will now become the fourth person to fly on New Shepard twice.

Jesús Calleja

Jesús Calleja is a Spanish television host, mountaineer, and seasoned adventurer. Best known for his shows Calleja Planet, Volando Voy, and Planeta Calleja on Mediaset Spain, his expeditions have taken him to some of the most extreme environments on Earth, including the Seven Summits, the North and South Poles, active volcanoes, and deep sinkholes. Calleja is also a passionate motorsports enthusiast, having competed in multiple international racing events, including four editions of the Dakar Rally and a grueling 3,400-mile trek from the French Pyrenees to Dakar, Senegal.

Elaine Chia Hyde

Entrepreneur, physicist, and pilot Elaine Chia Hyde is the founder of Chicago Star, a news and media company, and Eastside Enterprises, a research and development firm specializing in AI-assisted media products. Born in Singapore and raised in Australia, Hyde’s lifelong fascination with space led her to study business and physics at the University of Melbourne. She later moved to the U.S. for research roles, including an internship at the University of Pennsylvania. Today, Hyde resides in Florida with her husband, a fellow physicist, and their five children.

Dr. Richard Scott

A leader in reproductive medicine, Dr. Richard Scott is a reproductive endocrinologist, embryologist, and research scientist with a distinguished career in fertility care. As a founding partner and former CEO of IVIRMA Global, the world’s largest fertility care group, Dr. Scott has been at the forefront of advancements in reproductive technology. He is an adjunct professor at both Yale University and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville.

In addition to his clinical and academic contributions, he founded The Foundation for Embryonic Competence, a nonprofit dedicated to research in reproductive medicine. He has served on the national boards of Directors of RESOLVE and the American Fertility Association, the two largest patient advocacy organizations for fertility care. Married for 45 years, he and his wife have four children.

Tushar Shah

Tushar Shah is a partner and co-head of research at a quantitative hedge fund based in New York City. With a background in physics, he earned both his undergraduate and PhD degrees at MIT, specializing in high-energy experimental particle physics. Alongside his wife, Sara, Shah is actively involved in philanthropy, focusing on poverty alleviation, healthcare, and education initiatives. They have two children.

The Future of Commercial Spaceflight

The NS-30 mission underscores Blue Origin’s commitment to advancing commercial space travel and broadening access to space exploration. As the company continues to push the boundaries of human spaceflight, the participation of industry leaders, scientists, and adventurers highlights the growing intersection of technology, research, and private enterprise in the space industry.

Stay tuned for further updates as Blue Origin prepares for another historic mission, including an announcement of the flight window.