When Blue Origin launches its first manned flight into space next month, its owner, Jeff Bezos, wants to be there. The founder of the technology giant Amazon and currently the richest man on the planet intends to complete the flight together with his brother Mark. The winner of the ongoing auction will accompany them into space.
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When Blue Origin launches its first manned space flight next month, its owner, Jeff Bezos, wants to be there. | Video: Reuters
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The New Shepard spacecraft is scheduled to take off on July 20 from the desert in western Texas. According to Reuters, this will be another milestone on the road to a new era of private space travel.
“I want to fly because it’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life. It’s an adventure, it’s a big thing for me. I invited my brother to this first flight because we’re closest friends,” Bezos said.
“I didn’t even expect him to tell me he would fly first – and when he asked me to fly with him, I was just amazed,” said Mark, who was visibly upset when his brother addressed him.
The flight should take about half an hour. It will be a so-called suborbital mission, during which the ship gets “to the edge of space”. There, passengers will be able to enjoy the view and weightlessness for a while before their module returns to Earth.
More than 5,000 people from more than 100 countries have already taken part in the auction for the last vacancy. Initially, bidders were able to submit bids for two weeks, with the amounts not being published; in the ongoing second phase of the auction, the highest bid so far is $ 2.8 million (almost CZK 60 million).
The competition is to culminate on Saturday with a classic “live auction”. The amount corresponding to the winning bid will be donated to the foundation, whose mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in science and technology and to help them invent the future of life in space.
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