Ed Dwight: First Black astronaut candidate becomes world’s oldest person to fly in space

Ed Dwight, a 90-year-old sculptor and former Air Force test pilot who was once denied the chance of going to space and becoming the first Black astronaut six decades ago, finally went to space, on Sunday (May 19).

‘A life-changing experience’

Dwight, 90, finally went to space around 60 years after he was denied the chance to be America’s first Black astronaut after flying on Jeff Bezos’ rocket with five others for roughly 10 minutes.

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In 1961, when he was an Air Force pilot, Dwight was chosen by President John F Kennedy as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps, but he wasn’t picked from the 1963 class.

Notably, the American space agency didn’t select Black astronauts until 1978, and Guion Bluford became the first African American in space in 1983.

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Jeff Bezos’ space company launched its NS-25 mission from west Texas at 10:37 am (local time) where Dwight, along with five other passengers, experienced a few minutes of weightlessness as it skimmed space on a roughly 10-minute flight.

It was “a life changing experience,” said the 90-year-old shortly after exiting the capsule, as quoted by the Associated Press.

“I thought I really didn’t need this in my life,” Dwight. ”But, now, I need it in my life...I am ecstatic.”

While the now-retired US Air Force captain couldn'tmake history by becoming the first Black astronaut, after his flight on Sunday, he set another record and became the world’s oldest person in space.

Dwight broke the record set by William Shatner who flew on another Blue Origin flight in October 2021, as he is two months older than the ‘Star Trek’ actor.

Sunday’s flight was also Blue Origin’s first crew launch in nearly two years after the company had been grounded following an accident in 2022 involving its New Shepard rocket.

‘No intention’

In an interview with National Geographic, Dwight last year said that he had “no intention of being an astronaut” and that it was the “last thing on my bucket list”.

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Since retiring and entering private life in 1966, Dwight who is from Denver, Colorado, spent a decade as an entrepreneur before he became a sculptor.

The 90-year-old took the flight with four business entrepreneurs from the United States and France and a retired accountant.

While their ticket prices were not disclosed, according to AP, Dwight’s seat was sponsored in part by the nonprofit Space for Humanity.

(With inputs from agencies)