The mission is described as a historically significant step toward accessible space travel, underscoring the broader push for inclusion in exploration.

Blue Origin’s NS-37 suborbital flight is set to include Michaela “Michi” Benthaus, potentially making her the first wheelchair user in space.

Benthaus, an ESA trainee and Munich-based engineer, has a background in accessibility research and has participated in AstroAccess parabolic flights as part of her path to space.

Historical context notes that NASA debates on civilian and disabled astronauts evolved over decades, culminating in more inclusive programs.

NS-37’s crew includes notable passengers such as Joey Hyde, Hans Koenigsmann, Neal Milch, Adonis Pouroulis, and Jason Stansell, each bringing diverse backgrounds to the mission.

Blue Origin’s NS-37 fits into the company’s broader history of reusable New Shepard flights and ongoing mission development.

AstroAccess, a SciAccess project focused on disability inclusion in space, has conducted multiple microgravity missions to pave the way for diverse future explorations.

AstroAccess’ efforts have helped demonstrate practical accessibility in spaceflight and support Benthaus’s potential milestone.

NS-37 marks Blue Origin’s 16th crewed flight of New Shepard and its seventh crewed flight in 2025, with 86 people having flown (80 unique).

Experts, including former NASA officials, frame Benthaus’s flight as a historic milestone and a sign of progress from earlier eras when disabled individuals were considered unsafe for space.

Analysts credit AstroAccess with advancing accessibility in spaceflight and view Benthaus’s flight as potentially widening the accessibility of future orbital missions.

She brings a compelling personal story, detailing her 2018 mountain-bike injury that left her paralyzed from the waist down and sparked leadership in disability inclusion in space travel.