Blue Origin will return husband-and-wife passengers to suborbital space

marc hagle (left) and sharon hagle in blue suits standing next to each other
Marc Hagle (left) and Sharon Hagle during training for the NS-20 Blue Origin flight in March 2022. (Image credit: Blue Origin)

The first husband-wife team to fly on Blue Origin will make a return to space.

Sharon Hagle, founder of the non-profit SpaceKids Global, will fly to suborbital space alongside husband Marc during a future Blue Origin flight. (The timing for the New Shepard spacecraft flight has not been disclosed yet, amid an anomaly investigation during an uncrewed flight last month.)

"Marc and I are thrilled to venture into space for a second time, but we are even more excited to bring hope and encouragement to kids around the world who dream of going to space, too," Sharon said in a statement, which was timed to coincide with World Space Week, which begins Tuesday (Oct. 4).

Sharon also aims to bring a few people associated with SpaceKids Global to the launch to encourage STEAM+ (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics and environment) participation, the press release added.

Related: Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launches 6 people to space in fourth crewed flight

The Hagles made their first trip to suborbital space on March 31 aboard Blue Origin New Shepard NS-20, the company's fourth crewed spaceflight. The mission carried Gary Lai (the architect of New Shepard and a longtime Blue Origin employee) along with five paying customers.

Marc is president and CEO of the property development corporation Tricor International, which has developed and owned more than 17.4 million square feet of United States commercial properties. The Hagles' philanthropy extends to organizations focused on the arts, sciences, education and health.

All Blue Origin flights, including crewed ones, are grounded after an uncrewed flight Sept. 12 suffered an anomaly with its booster about a minute into the flight. Blue Origin and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Elizabeth Howell
Former Staff Writer, Spaceflight (July 2022-November 2024)

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.