An as yet unknown person is allowed to go into space with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for 28 million dollars (more than 23 million euros). He won an auction for a spot in the rocket of Blue Origin, the space company of the wealthy Bezos.
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Bezos plans to bring tourists to space for the first time with Blue Origin on July 20. His brother Mark also goes along, as well as a fourth person. Nearly 7,600 people from 159 countries participated in the auction, the company reports. The bidder’s identity will not be revealed in the coming weeks, Blue Origin says.
The New Shepard rocket (named after astronaut Alan Shepard) must reach an altitude of more than 100 kilometers after launch in Texas. The occupants are weightless there for a few minutes and see the curvature of the earth. Then the craft sinks back into the atmosphere to land again on Earth. The 11-minute excursion will be Blue Origin’s sixteenth spaceflight, but the first time with people on board.
The amount of 23 million euros offered will be transferred to the fund set up by Blue Origin in 2019 Club for the future, through which the company aims to encourage young people to choose careers in science, technology and mathematics.
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