Blue Origin wants to send the first tourists into space this April

Blue Origin completed the 14th test flight of its New Shepard launch vehicle and capsule. During a successful trial

flight, called NS-14, took placedebut of a new accelerator and an upgraded capsule. In addition to the updates, CNBC has learned that NS-14 is one of the final steps before Blue Origin sends its first crew into space.

This flight was the first of two test flights.flights of "stable configuration," people familiar with Blue Origin's plans told CNBC. The stable configuration means the company plans to avoid major changes between this flight and the next.

In addition, the source reports  that BlueOrigin plans to launch a second test flight within six weeks or by the end of February. The first crewed flight will take place within six weeks of this, or by early April.

Blue Origin's next flight, NS-15, will include a crew loading and unloading test, sources said.

Let us remind you that New Shepard is intended fortransportation of people on trips to the very boundary of the Earth’s atmosphere and space to an altitude of more than 100 km. The capsule spends several minutes in zero gravity before returning to Earth and is equipped with massive windows that give passengers views of Earth and outer space. Both rockets and capsules are reusable: the boosters return vertically to land, and the capsules land under the control of a set of parachutes.

The interior of the latest New Shepard capsule. Blue origin

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