Blue Origin recap: William Shatner 'overwhelmed' by 'moving' trip to space

Shatner, 90, is the oldest person ever to go to space.

Last Updated: October 13, 2021, 8:02 PM EDT

Actor William Shatner and his three crewmates on Blue Origin's New Shepard have returned to Earth after a 10-minute trip to space.

Shatner, 90, is the oldest person ever to go to space.

The "Star Trek" star joined Audrey Powers, Blue Origin's vice president of mission and flight operations and a former NASA flight controller and engineer; Chris Boshuizen, the co-founder of satellite company Planet Labs and a former space mission architect for NASA; and Glen de Vries, the co-founder of Medidata Solutions, a life science company.

This was Blue Origin's second crewed mission to space.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Oct 13, 2021, 12:42 PM EDT

New Shepard reaches height of 347,539 feet

Soon after touchdown, Blue Origin tweeted some statistics about the launch.

The NS-18 capsule carrying Shatner and the other three astronauts reached a height of 347,539 feet above ground level. The maximum velocity was 2,235 mph.

-ABC News' Ayushi Agarwal

Oct 13, 2021, 11:32 AM EDT

Bezos pins Shatner and crew

"Welcome to a very small club," Bezos told the four new astronauts as he fastened pins on their suits.

"Oops, this one is bent," Bezos said as he tried to pin one on Shatner. "So am I," Shatner joked back.

PHOTO: New Shepard NS-18 mission crew member "Star Trek" actor, William Shatner speaks with Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos on Oct. 13, 2021, after landing in the West Texas region, 25 miles  north of Van Horn.
New Shepard NS-18 mission crew member "Star Trek" actor, William Shatner speaks with Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos on Oct. 13, 2021, after landing in the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Jose Romero/Blue Origin/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News' Ayushi Agarwal

Oct 13, 2021, 11:25 AM EDT

'I am so filled with emotion,' Shatner says

Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin's founder, joined friends and family as they greeted the astronauts who exited the capsule one by one.

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos gives the thumbs up to the New Shepard NS-18 mission crew members after landing on Oct. 13, 2021, in the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Jose Romero/Blue Origin/AFP via Getty Images

New Shepard NS-18 mission crew member "Star Trek" actor, William Shatner gets a hug from Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos on Oct. 13, 2021, after landing in the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Jose Romero/BLUE ORIGIN/AFP via Getty Images

Bezos sprayed bottles of champagne to celebrate the safe and historic launch.

"Everybody in the world needs to do this," Shatner, who was overcome with emotion, told Bezos.

"It was so moving. This experience has been something unbelievable," he said. "The blue down there, the black up there."

The New Shepard rocket launches on Oct. 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Blue Origin's New Shepard lifts off from the launch pad carrying 90-year-old Star Trek actor William Shatner and three other civilians on Oct. 13, 2021 near Van Horn, Texas.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

"You have done something," Shatner said to Bezos. "What you have given me is the most profound experience. I am so filled with emotion."

He went on, "I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don't want to lose it. I am overwhelmed."

As for the camaraderie with the crew, the actor said, "It's like being in battle together."

The New Shepard capsule comes in for a landing on Oct. 13, 2021, from the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Oct 13, 2021, 11:02 AM EDT

Capsule touches down safely

The newest astronauts touched down safely at about 11 a.m. ET.

The New Shepard NS-18 mission capsule lands on Oct. 13, 2021, in the West Texas region, 25 miles, north of Van Horn.
Jose Romero/AFP via Getty Images

Recovery crews reach the New Shepard NS-18 mission capsule after landing on Oct. 13, 2021, in the West Texas region, 25 miles north of Van Horn.
Jose Romero/AFP via Getty Images

This was the second crewed flight for Blue Origin.