Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark will accompany an auction winner on the New Shepard craft’s first human voyage on July 20th, according to Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin.
“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” Bezos said in an announcement video posted on Instagram.
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Bidding for the referenced auction seat is now open and will end on June 12 with a live online auction. With nearly 6,000 bidders from 143 countries, the auction bidding stood at $2.8 million as of Monday morning with the winning bid amount set to be donated to Blue Origin’s Club for a Future foundation.
The New Shepard vehicle is Blue Origin’s “reusable suborbital rocket system,” intended to send people and research payloads beyond the globally recognized boundary of space and is named after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard. The craft can accommodate up to six passengers, none of whom will be in charge of navigating the 11-minute trip since the experience is completely autonomous.
Bezos will transfer over the CEO title at Amazon to Andy Jassy only 15 days before traveling on the New Shepard’s first human trip as a passenger. According to Bezos, the date of the handover was chosen to correlate with Amazon’s 27th anniversary.
Check out the trailer for Blue Origin’s ‘Come Away Changed’ below.
Education: Computer Network Engineering, Computer Desktop Administration
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With £1m what would you do: I would do my part to provide opportunities to the less fortunate. Then do my best to change the world in my own way through sports and talent building.
