Ed Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate in the U.S., has finally rocketed into space, becoming the oldest man to ever leave Earth.
Dwight was among six individuals who participated in Blue Origin’s seventh human space flight on Sunday, May 19. The 90-year-old was part of the 1963 astronaut class, alongside notable figures like Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, according to the Associated Press.
Despite being chosen by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as the nation’s first Black astronaut candidate, Dwight never had the chance to journey into space—until now.
Sunday’s spaceflight, the first in two years, launched around 10:37 a.m. local time from West Texas. Footage shared by Blue Origin captured the seven-person crew in awe as they orbited the Earth in their spacecraft.
Among them, Dwight was spotted soaking in the breathtaking views with unabashed glee.
Pioneering Astronaut Ed Dwight Called the Space Flight ‘Life-Changing’
Following the landing, Dwight described the nearly 10-minute flight as a “life-changing experience,” according to the AP.
“I thought I really didn’t need this in my life,” he admitted. ”But, now, I need it in my life …. I am ecstatic.”
Meanwhile, Dwight has set a new world record. He’s now the oldest person to travel to space, surpassing Star Trek legend William Shatner by just a few months.
As reported by the AP, Guion Bluford made history in 1983 as the first African American to venture into space, just five years after NASA began selecting Black astronauts in 1978.
Sadly, the Stars and Stripes weren’t the first to put a Black astronaut into space. Three years before Bluford, the Soviets launched Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, the first Black astronaut, who was a Cuban of African descent.
Blue Origin’s first crewed flight to space since 2022 marks a significant milestone, following the grounding of the New Shepard rocket due to an in-flight failure.
Sunday’s flight also included venture capitalist Mason Angel, entrepreneur Kenneth Hess, aviator Gopi Thotakura, retired accountant Carol Schaller, and Sylvain Chiron, the founder of a French craft brewery.
According to Blue Origin, New Shepard has successfully flown 37 people into space.