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Blue OriginNew ShepardWest Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch, Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA

NS-38

Launched

January 22, 2026 · 16:25 UTC

Launch Successful
NS-38 Patch

Image: Blue Origin

Summary

NS-38 launched on a Blue Origin New Shepard from West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch, Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA on January 22, 2026 at 16:25 UTC. The launch window ran from 16:00 to 21:30 UTC. It was Blue Origin's 40th launch and 1st this year. It was the 38th New Shepard flight and the 1st this year. Booster NS-4 flew for the 17th time and landed at Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West Texas. The payload was bound for Suborbital (Sub). 6 crew members flew: Timothy Drexler, Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren and Laura Stiles. The spacecraft was RSS First Step (2.0-2).

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Vehicle
New Shepard · Blue Origin
Booster
  • NS-4 · flight 17 · Return to Launch Site at Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West Texas · landed33/35 landed here · 106 days after its previous flight, NS-36 · 3 km downrange
Mission
Tourism · Suborbital (Sub)
Milestone
38th New Shepard flight · 1st this yearBlue Origin's 40th launch1st this year

Crew

6 people

Spacecraft

RSS First Step (2.0-2)

First Blue Origin New Shepard Crew Capsule 2.0 to carry human passengers. This capsule is outfitted with improvements to environmental features such as acoustics and temperature regulation inside the capsule, crew display panels, and speakers with a microphone and push-to-talk button at each seat.

  • Destination: Suborbital
  • Mission length: under an hour

The RSS First Step capsule has landed at Blue Origin's Corn Ranch facility.

Webcast

Replay
Watch on YouTube

Flight preview

About this launch

NS-38 is the 17th crewed flight for the New Shepard program and the 38th in the New Shepard program's history.

Official page: www.blueorigin.com

Pad

Map of West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch

West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch, Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA

38th launch from West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch, 1st this year · 38th from Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA

Local pad time at liftoff: Jan 22, 10:25 AM CST, in daylight

38 launches from this pad · 38 from Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA

33 days after the previous launch from this pad

All launches from Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USAOpen in maps

Updates

Mission complete.

Cosmic_Penguin · Jan 22, 2026 · source

Show 8 earlier updates

  • Liftoff.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/22/2026 · source

  • New T-0.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/22/2026 · source

  • Hold at T-02:54.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/22/2026 · source

  • New T-0.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/22/2026 · source

  • Hold at T-09:00.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/22/2026 · source

  • New T-0.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/21/2026 · source

  • GO for launch.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/16/2026 · source

  • Added launch.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 1/9/2026 · source

Questions

When did NS-38 launch?

NS-38 launched on January 22, 2026 at 16:25 UTC. The launch window ran from 16:00 to 21:30 UTC.

Where can I watch NS-38?

Coverage: Replay: New Shepard Mission NS-38 Webcast. Watch the replay

What rocket launched NS-38?

New Shepard, flown by Blue Origin. New Shepard spec sheet

Where did NS-38 launch from?

West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch, Corn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA. Liftoff was Jan 22, 10:25 AM CST local time at the pad.

Did the booster land?

Booster NS-4 flew for the 17th time and landed at Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West Texas.

What orbit was NS-38 going to?

Suborbital (Sub), a tourism mission.