A German engineer became the first wheelchair user to go into space on Saturday, after completing a short trip aboard a Blue Origin spacecraft.

The company, owned by American billionaire Jeff Bezos, launched its New Shepard rocket on a new suborbital mission at exactly 8:15 AM (14:15 GMT) from its Texas base.

Space.

Michel Penthouse, an aerospace and mechatronics engineer with the European Space Agency, crossed the Kármán line, which marks the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space, with five other space tourists on a journey that lasted about 10 minutes.

Michel Penthouse uses a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury sustained in a mountain biking accident.

In a video posted by Blue Origin, she said, “After the accident, I truly realized how closed off our world still is” to people with disabilities.

She added, “If we want to be an inclusive society, we need to be inclusive in every aspect, not just the ones we wish to be".

The fully automated rocket headed for space, and the capsule carrying the space tourists separated from it before gently landing in the Texas desert.

This is Blue Origin's 16th crewed flight. The company has been offering space tourism flights via its New Shepard rocket for years without disclosing the cost.

The new NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, sent congratulations to Michel on X, saying, “You have inspired millions to look to the sky and imagine what is possible.”

Dozens of people have traveled to space with Blue Origin, including singer Katy Perry and actor William Shatner, who portrayed Captain Kirk in the TV series Star Trek.

Private space companies offering space travel seek to promote their services through famous and prominent figures to maintain their edge as competition intensifies.

Virgin Galactic offers a similar spaceflight experience.

Blue Origin also has ambitions to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX in the orbital spaceflight market.

This year, Bezos' company succeeded in executing two uncrewed orbital missions using its more advanced New Glenn rocket than New Shepard.