A historic spaceflight took place on Saturday, December 20, 2025, when a German aerospace engineer became the first wheelchair user to travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Michaela Benthaus, age 33, launched from West Texas aboard a suborbital rocket operated by Blue Origin, a private space company founded in 2000. The flight lasted about ten minutes and reached more than 100 kilometers above Earth, which is widely recognized as the boundary of space. Space experts described the mission as an unprecedented step in commercial space travel. Benthaus sustained a spinal cord injury in a mountain biking accident seven years earlier, which ended the ability to walk but did not end a career in aerospace engineering.

The flight was completed through technical preparation and careful planning. The New Shepard capsule used for the mission is fully autonomous, meaning the spacecraft operates without pilots. Only minor adjustments were needed, including a transfer board to support movement inside the capsule. Engineers involved in training explained that the spacecraft already supported a wide range of physical needs. Benthaus prepared for the flight through weightlessness training and a simulated space mission in Europe. The mission also showed challenges such as emergency procedures and post-landing assistance, which required trained crew support.