Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to fly 90-year-old astronaut in space

The first black man who was selected to become the US’ first astronaut by the then president John F Kennedy’s administration, is gearing up to fly in space aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket.

In 1961, Ed Dwight could not go into space as his name was dropped later, now at the age of 90, he is getting his due.

The billionaire Jeff Bezos' aerospace company — founded in 2000 — announced that the six-member crew would be flying to Blue Origin's 25th mission on its New Shepard rocket, according to Business Insider.

The names of the crew members are Mason Angel, founder of Industrious Ventures VC firm; Sylvain Chiron, the founder of Brasserie Mont Blanc brewing company; Kenneth Hess, a pioneering software engineer; Carol Schaller, a retired CPA; Gopi Thotakura, a pilot; and Ed Dwight, who was trained to fly in space but could not.

Blue Origin states that the 90-year-old astronaut’s seat was reserved by a nonprofit aiming to enhance space travel opportunities Space for Humanity.

Dwight was born in Kansas in 1933 and was the only qualified black man to meet the criteria of an astronaut. He was an Air Force pilot.

He recalled when he asked his superiors for advice: "They told me, 'They will make hamburger out of you, Dwight."

According to a PBS report, he could not fly under Nasa programme. He then resigned from the Air Force and became a sculptor after receiving his MFA in Sculpture from the University of Denver.

He was forgotten until a documentary in 2023 released by National Geographic about the contribution of Black people astronauts in US history.