Jesús Calleja makes history: the figures of his historic trip to space with the Blue Origin ship

Jesús Calleja has made history by becoming the third Spaniard to reach space, following in the footsteps of Pedro Duque and Michael López-Alegría . Aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket , the adventurer and presenter experienced weightlessness for a few minutes before returning to Earth.

Their flight, which lasted approximately 11 minutes , went according to plan, allowing the six crew members to cross the Kármán line , considered the boundary with space, at an altitude of approximately 105 km above sea level .

In figures: this is how Jesús Calleja's trip to space was

The journey began at 16:49 (Spanish peninsular time) after a delay of about 20 minutes , with the takeoff of the New Shepard from the Texas desert. The crew, composed of Calleja and five other passengers , has endured an acceleration that has taken the rocket to a speed of more than 3,700 km/h in just three minutes . In the fourth minute , the ship has reached a maximum altitude of 107 kilometers .

At an altitude of 76 km , the capsule separated from the booster and continued its trajectory in weightlessness. For a few minutes, the crew was able to observe our planet through the capsule's large windows while floating freely , since they were able to remove their seat belts . Although Blue Origin's live broadcast did not show the passengers enjoying this moment, it is planned, as in previous trips, that recordings of the experience will be published.

At minute 6, the booster completed its re-entry manoeuvre and landed safely on a platform in the Texas desert. The capsule began its controlled descent at minute 8 in free fall and was then slowed down by the parachute system . Finally, at minute 10, it touched down with the passengers returning safe and sound. The New Shepard rocket, which took Calleja into space, has so far carried out 10 manned flights and 20 unmanned missions.

With this success, 52 people have now crossed the Kármán line thanks to this programme. As soon as he set foot on solid ground, Calleja could not help but get emotional: "It's incredible, wonderful, beautiful. The atmosphere is a very small line. It's been my dream since I was little, it makes me want to cry." A childhood dream that, after an 11-minute flight , has become a reality.

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