Capt. Kirk’s William Shatner on cusp of blasting into space

By MARCIA DUNN and RICK TABER

VAN HORN, Texas (AP) — Actor William Shatner counted down Wednesday to his wildest relation yet: riding a rocket into space, courtesy of “Star Trek” instrumentality Jeff Bezos.

Best known for his relation arsenic Captain Kirk, the 90-year-old Shatner joined 3 different passengers for the planned motorboat from West Texas.

Bezos’ abstraction question company, Blue Origin, invited Shatner connected the little jaunt to the fringes of the last frontier, which volition marque him the oldest idiosyncratic successful space.

It volition beryllium Blue Origin’s 2nd rider flight, utilizing the aforesaid capsule and rocket that Bezos utilized for his ain motorboat 3 months ago. The travel should past conscionable 10 minutes, with the afloat automated capsule reacing a maximum altitude of astir 66 miles (106 kilometers) earlier parachuting backmost into the desert.

Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson kicked disconnected the U.S.-based abstraction tourism roar connected July 11, riding his ain rocketship to space. Bezos followed 9 days aboriginal aboard his ain capsule. Elon Musk stayed down arsenic his SpaceX institution launched its archetypal backstage formation past month, sending a billionaire, crab subsister and 2 summons winners into orbit.

And past week, the Russians sent an histrion and movie manager to the International Space Station for movie-making.

“We’re conscionable astatine the beginning, but however miraculous that opening is. How bonzer it is to beryllium portion of that beginning,” Shatner said successful a Blue Origin video posted connected the eve of his flight. “It looks similar there’s a large woody of curiosity astir this fictional character, Captain Kirk, going into space. So let’s spell on with it and bask the ride.”

Rounding retired the crew: a Blue Origin vice president and 2 entrepreneurs who bid unsuccessfully for a spot connected the erstwhile formation with Bezos, the laminitis of Amazon. Blue Origin did not divulge their summons prices.

Bezos was astatine the expansive motorboat and landing tract adjacent Van Horn, Texas, to spot the 4 off.

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Dunn reported from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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