History was made on Saturday as an engineer became the first wheelchair user to travel to the edge of space, marking a monumental step towards inclusivity in human spaceflight.
A Dream Takes Flight
Michaela Benthaus, a 33-year-old engineer originally from Germany, laughed with joy throughout the entire ascent aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. The sub-orbital flight, which launched from Texas, carried her and five other passengers beyond the Kármán line, the recognised boundary of space approximately 65 miles above Earth. "It was the coolest experience," Ms Benthaus remarked after the journey. "You should never give up on your dreams, right?"
Her path to space was paved with extraordinary resilience. Seven years ago, a severe mountain bike accident caused damage to her spinal cord, leaving her unable to walk. Despite this, she pursued her passion for space, joining the European Space Agency's graduate trainee programme in the Netherlands. Her preparation included experiencing weightlessness on a parabolic flight from Houston in 2022 and participating in a two-week simulated space mission in Poland less than two years later.
Breaking Barriers Beyond Gravity
Speaking to the Associated Press before the flight, Ms Benthaus revealed she never thought a real spaceflight was a viable option. "Even as a super healthy person, it's so competitive, right?" she said. "There is no history of people with disabilities flying to space."
Her landmark journey was made possible with support from Hans Koenigsmann, a retired SpaceX executive also born in Germany, who helped organise and co-sponsor the trip with Blue Origin. The company, founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, ensured the capsule was accessible. According to Blue Origin engineer Jake Mills, who trained and assisted the crew, the New Shepard was designed with a view to "making it more accessible to a wider range of people than traditional spaceflight".
Only minor adjustments were needed, including the addition of a patient transfer board to help Ms Benthaus move between the capsule's hatch and her seat. The flight itself lasted about 10 minutes, reaching apogee before the capsule returned to Earth.
A New Era for Accessible Exploration
This pioneering mission, Blue Origin's 37th commercial passenger flight, concluded with Mr Koenigsmann and Mr Mills gently lifting Ms Benthaus from the capsule and down the short flight of steps. The successful voyage demonstrates that physical disability is not an insurmountable barrier to space travel.
The flight on Saturday 21 December 2025 stands as a powerful testament to human determination and the evolving nature of space exploration. It signals a future where the final frontier is open to a far more diverse group of explorers, challenging long-held assumptions about who can become an astronaut.
