Put-in-Bay entrepreneur and longtime island resident Paul Jeris is officially confirmed as one of six civilian crew members on Blue Origin’s NS-32 mission, scheduled to launch Saturday, May 31, 2025, from Launch Site One in West Texas.
The flight marks the 12th human mission for Blue Origin’s New Shepard program. The launch window opens at 8:30 a.m. CDT (9:30 a.m. EDT), with a livestream beginning at 9:00 a.m. EDT on BlueOrigin.com.
Paul Jeris: Lifelong Explorer, Now Astronaut
Jeris is well known throughout the Put-in-Bay community for his work in local tourism, property rentals, and digital media. His adventurous background includes more than 120 skydives and travel to over 149 countries. A lifelong dream of his has always been to journey into space—an interest sparked by childhood summers spent on Florida’s Space Coast watching NASA launches, inspired by his father’s 29-year career as a NASA engineer.
As a tribute, Jeris will carry his father’s old NASA badge with him during the mission.
“I said, ‘Oh, heck yeah,’” Jeris told media when asked how he responded to the invitation to join the mission.
The NS-32 flight will carry its crew past the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space roughly 62 miles above Earth—before the autonomous capsule returns for landing. The flight is expected to last approximately 11 minutes, including several minutes of weightlessness.
NS-32 Crew Members
The crew includes six individuals from around the world, each with unique backgrounds in exploration, education, business, and global impact:
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Paul Jeris – Real estate developer, explorer, and tourism advocate from Put-in-Bay
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Aymette Medina Jorge – Puerto Rican-born STEM educator advancing Hispanic representation in science
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Dr. Gretchen Green – Radiologist, North Pole explorer, and longtime space enthusiast
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Jaime Alemán – Panamanian attorney, diplomat, and global traveler
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Jesse Williams – Canadian entrepreneur, cyclist, and mountaineer
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Mark Rocket – Aerospace entrepreneur from New Zealand and early Rocket Lab investor
This marks Blue Origin’s 32nd overall New Shepard flight and continues its mission to expand civilian access to suborbital space travel.
Watch Party at Mr. Ed’s
A public watch party will be held Saturday morning at Mr. Ed’s Bar & Grille on Put-in-Bay. The launch will be live-streamed, and community members are invited to attend, show support, and witness this milestone as one of their own reaches space.