Bezos lands in west Texas desert after successful space flight

The capsule carrying Jeff Bezos and the other passengers on board Blue Origin’s New Shepard has successfully landed in the west Texas desert, following the craft’s first crewed trip into space.

After briefly floating in space, the craft descended back to Earth, using parachutes to guide it back to the flat terrain of west Texas.

Welcome back to Earth! 🙌 #NewShepard capsule makes a safe landing with Jeff Bezos, his brother and two others. #BlueOrigin pic.twitter.com/KbW8fCQu21

— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) July 20, 2021

Bezos was joined by his brother Mark, female aviation pioneer Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen, an 18-year-old Dutch teenager whose wealthy father paid for an auctioned seat on the craft. All the passengers appear to be safe. 

This still image taken from video by Blue Origin shows Blue Origin's reusable New Shepard craft capsule as it returns from space before touchdown, on July 20, 2021, in Van Horn, Texas. ©  Handout / BLUE ORIGIN / AFP

The craft’s reusable rocket also made a safe landing. After propelling the capsule towards space, it used brakes, fins, and a last-minute booster to touch down on solid ground. 

This still image taken from video by Blue Origin shows Blue Origin's reusable New Shepard craft capsule as it returns from space after it safely landed, on July 20, 2021, in Van Horn, Texas. ©  Handout / BLUE ORIGIN / AFP

New Shepard had just launched around 11 minutes earlier from Blue Origin's Launch Site One, located in a stretch of remote desert in the Guadalupe Mountains in west Texas. 

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