Ed Dwight was once on the brink of becoming America’s first Black astronaut, but he never made it up to space; now, nearly sixty years later, he flew up in Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. While he wasn’t the first Black astronaut, 90-year-old Dwight still set records: this historic flight made him the oldest person to venture into space–surpassing actor William Shatner–and also marked a poignant fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
Dwight sees his journey to the stars as not just a personal triumph but a symbolic victory over the racial barriers he encountered in the 1960s. After President John F. Kennedy personally endorsed his candidacy, Dwight was poised to break the astronaut color barrier. However, following Kennedy’s assassination, his path was diverted. Dwight left the Air Force and later achieved prominence as a sculptor, immortalizing African American figures in his art. His venture into space is a delayed but sweet vindication of his early aspirations.
“It was absolutely terrific. I thought I really didn’t need this in my life but now I need it in my life. I am ecstatic,” Dwight remarked after the flight. His words capture the transformative joy of his experience, which he shared with a diverse crew including a French entrepreneur, a software engineer, and a retired accountant.
The flight itself was a technical marvel, demonstrating Blue Origin’s rebound after a hiatus following a booster failure in 2022. The successful mission symbolizes a resurgence in space tourism, with Dwight’s launch being the first manned flight since the incident. Funded by Space for Humanity and the Jaison and Jamie Robinson Family Foundation, Dwight’s seat symbolizes broader efforts to democratize space travel.
Dwight’s elation was palpable as he emerged from the capsule, “Long time coming,” he said, pumping his fist in the air.
