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What to expect when Blue Origin's New Shepard launches and lands in West Texas

Liftoff for the rocket and capsule is scheduled for 8 a.m. Tuesday.

VAN HORN, Texas — On Tuesday, Blue Origin plans to launch a rocket into space from West Texas for a 10-12 minute flight. It’ll have the youngest and oldest ever space travelers, along with Jeff Bezos and his younger brother, Mark.

During a pre-launch news conference Sunday, officials with Blue Origin gave a rundown of how the space flight will go.

Liftoff for the rocket and capsule is scheduled for 8 a.m. At around 75 kilometers or 250,000 feet up, the two separate and continue their ascent.

The astronauts will get roughly three to four minutes of weightlessness and will be able to get out of their seats, do a few summersaults and look out of the big windows back to Earth.

Next, they’ll need to strap back in and descend back to earth under three large parachutes.

The retro-thrust system will kick in and give an air cushion for the capsule to return to Earth. 

The booster is also landing, but a few minutes earlier than the capsule.

This will be the first launch with passengers for Blue Origin, which like Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, plans to start flying paying customers in the months ahead. 

Blue Origin has two other planned space flights this year.

Reporter Xavier Walton and photojournalist Sergio Soto are in West Texas for the launch. Watch for their coverage on KHOU 11.

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