Michaela “Michi” Benthaus Becomes the First Wheelchair User in Space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-37

German aerospace engineer Michaela "Michi" Benthaus made history as the first wheelchair user to travel into space. While her suborbital flight took place on December 20, 2025, it gained significant global recognition and media coverage in early January 2026 as a landmark achievement for inclusive exploration. Mission Details: • Flight and Craft: Benthaus was one of six passengers on Blue Origin’s New Shepard (Mission NS-37), which launched from West Texas. • Trajectory: The flight reached an altitude of approximately 105 kilometers (65 miles), crossing the Kármán line (the internationally recognized boundary of space). • Weightlessness: During the 10-minute mission, she experienced over three minutes of weightlessness, unstrapping from her seat to float in the cabin while using custom leg straps for stability. • Background: A mechatronics engineer for the European Space Agency (ESA), Benthaus has used a wheelchair since a mountain biking accident in 2018 left her with a spinal cord injury. Accessibility Innovations - The mission demonstrated that existing space tourism technology could accommodate people with disabilities with only minor modifications: • Ground Support: An elevator on the launch tower provided access to the capsule, and a specially designed transfer board/bench allowed her to move from her wheelchair into her seat independently. • In-Flight Assistance: She was accompanied by retired SpaceX executive Hans Koenigsmann, who helped organize the trip and served as a trained emergency helper. • Touchdown: Upon landing, a dedicated recovery team unrolled a carpet on the desert floor to provide immediate wheelchair access. Benthaus’s mission served as a pilot for future "parastronaut" programs, proving that physical disabilities are not inherent barriers to the demands of suborbital spaceflight when systems are designed with inclusivity in mind.