Michael Strahan headed for space aboard next Blue Origin flight

Michael Strahan is going to space. 

The co-host of ABC’s “Good Morning America” and former NFL defensive lineman is among the group of passengers slated to embark on Blue Origin’s next flight, which is scheduled for Dec. 9. 

“I want to go to space,” Strahan said on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. “I think being there at the first launch, it really was mind-blowing.”

When he was approached by Blue Origin about taking the ride into orbit, Strahan agreed “without hesitation,” he said.

“I believe that this is the way of being innovative, creative, pioneers in aviation, now space travel,” Strahan said of Blue Origin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s space exploration project. “And it’s going to take a while, but I do believe that it will bring a lot of technological breakthroughs and also innovations to us here on Earth, and I just want to be a part of it. I was really enamored.”

According to “Good Morning America,” Strahan will be joined by Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of the first American to fly to space, Alan Shepard.

Strahan has been preparing for the Dec. 9 flight by participating in Zoom calls with crew members and other passengers and being fitted for safety gear and a flight suit. 

“You really feel like you’re part of a great team, and I’m excited to get down there,” he said.   

The upcoming launch will be Blue Origin’s third crewed spaceflight this year. Previous crews included Bezos himself, in July, and William Shatner, in October.