The New Shepard spacecraft's launch into space will take place at 8:30 a.m. CDT/13:30 UTC, or 20:30 (Hanoi time) on April 14, 2025 in Van Horn (Texas, USA), marking an important milestone in space exploration and cooperation between Vietnam and the United States.

Notably, Amanda Nguyen (born in 1991), a Vietnamese-American woman, will join the Blue Origin crew in carrying 169 lotus seeds into space on the New Shepard spacecraft on this journey.

Joining Amanda on the NS-31 mission were five female astronauts: Aisha Bowe, a Bahamian-born American former aerospace engineer; Gayle King, a renowned journalist; Katy Perry, a singer and philanthropist; Kerianne Flynn, a film producer; and Lauren Sánchez, a helicopter pilot and journalist. This was the first all-female crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s flight in 1963, marking a step forward for gender equality in space.

Amanda Nguyen, born in California, is the founder and CEO of the NGO Rise. Amanda Nguyen grew up with dreams of reaching for the stars.

The flight was sponsored by Space for Humanity, recognizing her contributions to STEM education while also honoring Vietnamese heritage on the international stage.

Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC) – Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) said it has cooperated with female astronaut Amanda Nguyen on the historic space mission NS-31 with Blue Origin's first all-female crew.

Specifically, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology provided lotus seeds (Nelumbo nucifera) - a Vietnamese cultural symbol - for Amanda Nguyen to bring along on this journey.

Selected from the Center for Research and Development of Flowers and Ornamental Plants under the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, these lotus seeds will return from their mission to open up research on the effects of space on growth, contributing to plant science and space exploration.

According to VNSC, the journey of 169 lotus seeds into space is a timeless story, where the lotus flower - a flower that blooms from the mud - becomes a symbol of perseverance and hope.

In 2025, when Vietnam and the United States look back on 50 years since the end of the war and 30 years of resuming friendship, this event will act as a bridge of reconciliation, connecting the two nations through a common aspiration: sowing the seeds of dreams to reach the vast universe. This journey is even more meaningful when it bears the mark of VNSC, with the name “lotus” recalling LOTUSat-1 – Vietnam’s first radar satellite – a testament to the nation’s spirit of reaching out in the space age.

The mission was carried out on the New Shepard spacecraft of billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which is designed to be reusable and take humans beyond the Kármán line – the boundary of space at an altitude of 100 km above sea level. The flight lasted about 11 minutes. The crew spent a few minutes in zero gravity at a maximum altitude of about 105 km, admiring the curve of the Earth and the darkness of space before landing by parachute in West Texas.

The Vietnam Space Center also organized an online event to track flight NS-31 from 20:00 to 21:00 at room 903, building A6, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi).

Link to live broadcast of NS-31 flight updated on Blue Origin's official website: https://www.blueorigin.com/

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nu-phi-hanh-gia-goc-viet-sap-mang-169-hat-sen-bay-vao-khong-gian-post1027642.vnp