On October 8, 2025, Ukrainian investor and traveler Vitaliy Ostrovsky made history as one of the few Ukrainians to venture beyond Earth's atmosphere.
He participated in a suborbital tourist flight organized by Blue Origin, the company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos. This mission, named NS-36, was the fifteenth commercial launch of the New Shepard rocket, which specializes in short-duration space flights.
The ticket price for space tourists on New Shepard is estimated at $500,000.
The rocket was launched from the Corn Ranch launch site near Van Horn, Texas, at 09:41 Eastern Time (16:41 Kyiv time). The capsule, carrying a crew of six, ascended to an altitude of over 100 km, crossing the Kármán line, which is considered the boundary of space.
After a few minutes of weightlessness, the capsule successfully returned to Earth using a parachute system. The flight lasted about 11 minutes, but that was enough for participants to see the curvature of the planet, experience weightlessness, and undergo a unique experience available to only a few.
In addition to Vitaliy Ostrovsky, the NS-36 crew included:
- Danna Karagusova — a media entrepreneur from Kazakhstan, who became the first Kazakh woman in space
- Jeff Elgin — an American businessman in the franchising sector
- Clint Kelly III — an engineer and researcher
- Aaron Newman — an entrepreneur and philanthropist
- One participant who wished to remain anonymous
Who is Vitaliy Ostrovsky
Vitaliy Ostrovsky is a Ukrainian entrepreneur, investor, and traveler known for his involvement in international educational and technological projects. Before his space flight, he had visited over 100 countries and supported numerous initiatives aimed at promoting science and innovation in Ukraine.
