Here’s who’s headed to space on next Blue Origin rocket launch

ORLANDO, Fla. – Blue Origin will soon send another crew to space, including the first Mexican-born woman to visit space, Katya Echazarreta.

The company announced Monday morning that a crew of six will head to space on Blue Origin’s reusable suborbital rocket, known as New Shepard. The launch date for Blue Origin’s fifth human flight will be announced at a later date.

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Along with Echazarreta, the crew will consist of Evan Dick, Hamish Harding, Victor Correa Hespanha, Jaison Robinson and Victor Vescovo. (Read their bios below.)

“Each astronaut on board NS-21 will carry a postcard to space on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, whose Postcards to Space program gives students access to space on Blue Origin’s rockets. The club’s mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM for the benefit of Earth,” the company said.

Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, launches from west Texas.

In March, Marc and Sharon Hagle, of Winter Park, couple took part in mission NS-20.

Meet the team

Evan Dick

Evan is an engineer, investor, and Managing Member of Dick Holdings, LLC., and flew onboard NS-19 on December 11, 2021. Evan formerly served as Senior Vice President for D.E. Shaw and Managing Director of Highbridge Capital Management, and he is a charitable supporter of the Darwin Foundation and Population Relief International Corp. Evan is an ATP-rated pilot and volunteer for Starfighters Aerospace, as well as an avid sailor and motorcyclist.

Katya Echazarreta

Katya was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her mission is to provide representation for women and minorities interested in STEM fields. She is the co-host of the YouTube series “Netflix IRL” and “Electric Kat” on the CBS show “Mission Unstoppable.” Katya is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at Johns Hopkins University and earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UCLA in 2019. Following graduation, she spent nearly four years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory working on five NASA missions, including the Perseverance Rover and Europa Clipper.

Katya’s seat is sponsored by Space for Humanity, a nonprofit whose mission is to expand access to space for all of humanity.

Hamish Harding

Hamish is Chairman of Action Aviation, a business jet brokerage company he founded in 2004, and also a business jet pilot. In 2019, he and former International Space Station Commander Col. Terry Virts broke the Round-the-World record in a Gulfstream G650ER for any aircraft flying over the North and South poles. In addition to holding several aviation world records, Hamish has travelled to the South Pole twice, and in 2021 dived the Challenger Deep with Victor Vescovo to a depth of 36,000 ft in a two-person sub. Hamish lives in the United Arab Emirates with his wife, two teenage sons, and two golden retrievers.

Victor Correa Hespanha

Victor is a 28-year-old civil production engineer from Minas Gerais (Brazil). As a child he dreamed of becoming an astronaut, and now, after buying his first NFT, he’s honored to be the second Brazilian to fly to space and the world’s first cryptonaut.

Victor’s seat is sponsored by the Crypto Space Agency, whose mission is to combine the space industry’s technology with the innovation and financial power of the crypto markets to accelerate humankind’s off-world future.

Jaison Robinson

Jaison founded JJM Investments, a commercial real estate company, and co-founded Dream Variations Ventures (DVV) with his wife, Jamie. DVV invests in technology and sports start-ups. He’s an avid scuba diver and skydiver, has broken the sound barrier in a Mig-29 fighter jet, spent a week hiking in Antarctica, and climbed to the tallest waterfall in the world in Venezuela. He was a finalist on Survivor: Samoa in 2009. Jaison earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford, with study at Oxford, and a JD from the University of Chicago. He is also an Eagle Scout and played water polo at Stanford and on the United States National Team.

Victor Vescovo

Victor is a co-founder of private equity investment firm Insight Equity. He has completed the “Explorer’s Grand Slam,” which includes summiting the world’s seven summits and skiing to the North and South Poles. In 2020, he became the first person to repeatedly dive to the deepest point in the ocean, Challenger Deep (now twelve times). He is the first person to visit the deepest point in the world’s five oceans and executed the deepest wreck dive in history. Victor is a commercially-rated multi-engine jet and helicopter pilot, as well as a certified submersible test pilot. He holds degrees from Stanford, MIT, and Harvard Business School, and served 20 years in the U.S. Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer, retiring as a Commander (O-5).