William Shatner goes to space aboard Blue Origin. Here's everything you need to know.

Captain Kirk embarked on his real-life star trek.

Actor William Shatner, who is best known for his role in the original "Star Trek" series and the first six films in the "Star Trek" movie franchise, joined Blue Origin, founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2000, for its second-ever human spaceflight. Shatner and three others were launched in a New Shepard rocket from the aerospace company's West Texas launch site just before 11 a.m. ET.

"I'm going up into space. I don't know how many people can say that," Shatner said in a pre-recorded video played prior to the launch. "There's a great deal of curiosity about this fictional character Captain Kirk going into space, so let's go along with it and enjoy the ride."

The crew safely landed back on Earth several minutes later, when Shatner could be heard saying the experience was "unlike anything they described."

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The launch had been scheduled for Tuesday but forecasted high winds prompted a 24-hour delay. Here's everything we know about the mission, called NS-18.

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When was the launch and how to watch

The flight happened at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, a day later than originally planned.

The trip lasted approximately 10 minutes, with the fully automated capsule reaching a maximum altitude of about 66 miles before parachuting back into the desert.

A statement on Blue Origin’s website added that New Shepard NS-18 met all mission requirements and the astronauts were prepared through training.

Viewers can watch back the launch at USA TODAY's live stream of the event.

Who is William Shatner?

The 90-year-old actor is best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in the "Star Trek" franchise and has been acting for six decades. His other notable credits include "T.J. Hooker," "Rescue 911" and "The Practice." Along with acting, Shatner is also the host of "The UnXplained" on The History Channel, which explores world mysteries, including aliens.

"I've heard about space for a long time now," Shatner said in a press release on Oct. 4. "I'm taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle."

Shatner made history as the oldest man to fly in space, surpassing Wally Funk, 82, who flew with Bezos on a Blue Origin flight in July. She’s an accomplished pilot with more than 18,600 flight hours under her belt.

While Shatner expressed excitement for the launch, he admitted he was also nervous to go to space.

"I'm terrified!" he said during New York Comic Con Thursday, according to Space.com. "I know!...I'm Captain bloody Kirk and I'm terrified!"

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Who joined Captain Kirk in space?

Along with Shatner, the spaceflight passengers in Blue Origin's second human spaceflight included Blue Origin's vice president of mission and flight operations Audrey Powers, a former NASA engineer and tech entrepreneur Chris Boshuizen and the founder of a clinical trials software company Glen de Vries.

"I’m so proud and humbled to fly on behalf of Team Blue, and I’m excited to continue writing Blue’s human spaceflight history,” Powers said in a Blue Origin news release.

In a video on Twitter, de Vries also shared his excitement about the launch.

"Space technology is going to be a way to help us continue to thrive on Earth by reaching beyond it," he said.

What is Blue Origin?

Blue Origin was founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2000. The company's only human spaceflight to date launched on July 20, when it flew Bezos, Bezos' brother Mark, Mercury 13 aviator Funk and 18-year-old student Oliver Daemen (son of a hedge fund manager) to suborbital space.

In a matter of minutes, the group blasted off from the West Texas desert, reaching space and returning to Earth in a smooth parachute landing.

"Best day ever," Jeff Bezos said after touchdown, greeted by a sea of cheering Blue Origin employees and others at the company's campus.

This was 16th flight for New Shepard, the 60-foot rocket designed primarily for space tourism, but the first to include people. Bezos said Blue Origin plans two more flights this year, and sales of private seats on his flights are approaching $100 million.

Contributing: Rob Landers, Florida Today; Marcia Dunn, Associated Press, Martha Pskowski, El Paso Times and John Bacon and Emre Kelly, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: William Shatner, Blue Origin launch: What to know about trip to space