Edward Dwight, who was initially chosen to be the first Black astronaut over 60 years ago but had his dreams deferred due to racism and politics, finally went to space on a Blue Origin spaceflight on Sunday. At the age of 90, he became the oldest person to ever go to space, surpassing William Shatner. After his flight, Mr. Dwight expressed that the experience was “life-changing” and admitted that he had initially denied needing the flight in his life, but later realized he had lied.
Despite facing numerous obstacles throughout his life, including discrimination by General Chuck Yeager and the lack of support after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, Mr. Dwight went on to become a successful restaurateur, real estate developer, and celebrated sculptor of prominent Black-history figures. It was not until 1983 that the United States sent a Black astronaut to space, Lt. Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr.
Mr. Dwight was one of six people aboard the New Shepard rocket, which launched from a private site near Van Horn, Texas. The other passengers included Mason Angel, founder of Industrious Ventures; Sylvain Chiron, founder of the Brasserie du Mont-Blanc; Kenneth L. Hess, a software engineer and entrepreneur; Gopi Thotakura, a pilot; and Carol Schaller, a retired C.P.A. who began traveling extensively after being told she would go blind in 2017.
The flight lasted 9 minutes and 53 seconds, during which the rocket took off and landed back on Earth. The capsule carrying the passengers landed separately with only two of its three parachutes deploying, though this did not cause any serious issues for the landing. Mr. Dwight, visibly ecstatic, stood outside the capsule after landing and emphasized that “everybody needs to do this.”
Reflecting on his long journey and finally reaching space, Mr. Dwight expressed that the experience was a culmination of his lifelong efforts to get things done. Despite the delays and setbacks he faced, he finally achieved his dream of going to space and saw it as a moment that should have happened at some point in his life. He emphasized that the opportunity to go to space was not just for himself but for everyone, encouraging others to experience the transformative journey as well.
