A Blue Origin space rocket carrying six passengers launched from Texas on Sunday morning. Within just 11 minutes, the rocket reached an altitude of 100 kilometres above the Earth. The passengers experienced a few moments of weightlessness before beginning their return journey.

It took about 3 and a half minutes to travel the 62 miles to the Karman line, known as the boundary of space.

Blue Origin officials said the launch was scheduled for 21 June but was postponed due to weather.

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For the Blue Origin New Shepard programme this trip was the third suborbital human spaceflight since April 13. The April 13 trip featured an all-female group, including singer Katy Perry, Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez, the newlywed bride of Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.

At around 10:38 am ET, 20 miles north of the West Texas town of Van Horn, the group lifted off from the launch site. The crew experienced weightlessness for a few moments and returned to their seats for their journey back at about 5 minutes and 20 seconds into the flight. With the help of three huge parachutes, the capsule returned to Earth.

After completing its mission, the fully reusable rocket landed back on the landing pad, while the passenger capsule landed safely in a nearby field with the help of parachutes.

This trip was Blue Origin’s 33rd flight since its inception by 61-year-old Jeff Bezos in the 2000s. This was the new Shepard program’s 13th human flight.

According to the company, Blue Origin s first human flight was in july 2021 and till now, seventy humans have flown in space on Blue Origin.