FAA Awards Astronaut Wings to Jeff Bezos and William Shatner

But at the end of the year, the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings program is ending.

Meg Scarbrough

Friday, December 10, 2021 at 07:06 PM ET

Verified

Actor William Shatner (left) discusses his space experience with Jeff Bezos. Screengrab from Blue Origin

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is awarding "astronaut" wings to 15 individuals, including Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and William Shatner, for their 2021 spaceflights, with Shatner notably becoming the oldest person in space at 90.
The Commercial Space Astronaut Wings program will conclude at the end of 2021, with future space travelers instead being recognized by a listing on the FAA's website.
The program's termination reflects the FAA's view that its original goal of promoting and drawing attention to the developing commercial human spaceflight industry has been achieved.

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Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and William Shatner are earning “astronaut” wings for their recent flights that reached space.

The FAA on Friday said it will be awarding the honor to 15 people who reached the 50-mile mark above Earth in 2021, including honorary awards to two more who flew on a FAA-permitted experimental test flight in a space launch vehicle that broke up during flight in 2014. Those who qualify before the end of the year also will be eligible.