William Shatner, the "Star Trek" actor who found fame by pretending a Hollywood soundstage was a spaceship exploring the galaxy, will be launched to the edge of space for real next week in a rocket built by Blue Origin, billionaire Jeff Bezos' space company.

Shatner, best known as Captain Kirk in the original "Star Trek" television series, will be part of a four-person crew aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard launch vehicle on the flight scheduled for the morning of Oct 12, the company said on Monday.

"I've heard about space for a long time now," Shatner, 90, said in a statement released by Blue Origin. "I'm taking the opportunity to see it...