Michaela Benthaus, a paraplegic engineer from Germany, has become the first wheelchair user to travel to space after flying aboard a Blue Origin suborbital mission from West Texas.
The 10-minute flight, which provided more than three minutes of weightlessness, required only minor adjustments to the New Shepard capsule, designed with accessibility in mind.
Blue Origin added transfer equipment to assist Benthaus, 33, who was injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago. The private mission highlights growing efforts to make spaceflight more inclusive.