William Shatner will make history Wednesday as he boldly goes where few have gone before while aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard launch vehicle.
The Star Trek actor who played the iconic Captain Kirk joined Good Morning America on Monday along with his fellow flight crew members as they anxiously await their delayed departure.
“I’m deeply disappointed because I was building up the enthusiastic response, now we have to wait another day,” Shatner said. “[But] it’s really worth it. What’s a day with this extraordinary experience that we’re about to have?”
The 11-minute ride to the edge of space about 60 miles above the earth’s surface comes just two months after the first successful Jeff Bezos-owned space flight with Wally Funk, 82.
Shatner, 90, is set to become the oldest person ever to go to space, and will hit weightlessness in zero gravity for about four minutes.
His fellow passenger, Blue Origin crew member Audrey Powers, told GMA that this trip and opportunity was a long time coming.
“They offered me the opportunity to represent all those great people and sit in the seats, so I could not be more overwhelmed at the opportunity,” she said. “I feel an enormous sense of responsibility to represent this team.”
For his part, Shatner joked to GMA‘s T.J. Holmes that he’s not thinking of his trip as inspiring others. “No!” he said to laughs. “I’m taking it as an experience!”
Shatner said he expects plenty of Captain Kirk references as the world watches him and the crew in flight.
“Actually, I haven’t heard ‘Shatner’ in a long time,” he said with a laugh.
New Shepard’s 18th mission, NS-18, has targeted liftoff for October 13, at 8:30 a.m. CT from Launch Site One in West Texas.
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