Toronto man onboard Blue Origin flight to space says he ‘can’t wait to go again’

Henry Wolfond returned to Earth Friday morning after a quick trip to the edge of space.

The Toronto finance executive was part of a six-person crew onboard the New Shepard, a reuseable rocket designed for space tourism by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

New Shepard launched just after 9:30 a.m. local time in West Texas, marking the ninth human spaceflight for the program. The trip itself only lasted a few minutes and saw its participants soar above what’s known as the Kármán line, recognized internationally as the boundary of space.

Once the vessel reached its destination, the booster detached and eventually landed itself back on Earth. The crew capsule, which also housed Emily Calandrelli, Sharon Hagle, Marc Hagle, Austin Litteral and James (J.D.) Russell, touched down shortly after with the assistance of three parachutes.

On a live stream of the mission, Wolfond was seen exiting the craft with his hand over his heart, pounding his chest with his fist and pointing back up to the sky. He told CP24 earlier this week that he wanted to use the mission to highlight the increasing antisemitism seen around the world following the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Seeing the world from up that high where you don’t see the borders, you don’t see the divisions, you don’t see all of the lines that divide us, where we hate each other: we’re all one people,” he said.

Before Friday’s flight, the Bayshore Capital CEO said he’d always dreamed of going to space. He’s come closer than most, though, moonlighting as a professional pilot on flights, including charters, medical evacuations, and organ retrievals.

It’s unclear how much exactly he paid to be on the flight, which can reportedly cost around US$200,000 (roughly C$279,600) a ticket. During the first crewed New Shepard flight three years ago, Blue Origin auctioned off a seat on the craft to a winning bid of US$28 million.

Wolfond joins a handful of other Canadians who have travelled to space, either as trained astronauts or tourists. In 2021, William Shatner became the oldest person in space. The “Star Trek” actor rode for free as a guest.

Asked about the experience, Wolfond admitted it would take him a while to process the event, but added that “he can’t wait to go again.”