Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Is Flying First Crew to Space, and You Can Bid on a Seat

©Blue Origin / Blue Origin
©Blue Origin / Blue Origin

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin is flying its first astronaut crew to space on its New Shepard rocket on July 20th, and you can buy a seat to be on the 10-minute ride to space.

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“This seat will change how you see the world,” Blue Origin says in a statement.

“We are offering one seat on this first flight to the winning bidder of Blue Origin’s online auction. Starting today, anyone can place an opening bid by going to BlueOrigin.com,” the company said in a statement. The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, “to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space,” according to the statement.

Blue Origin hasn’t disclosed pricing details yet. But for reference, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, which will also fly private customers to space, is planning on charging more than $250,000 for a ticket, according to its website, adding that “we have not yet announced final pricing.” The company plans to re-open for sales of its spaceflight seats following Branson’s flight.

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There are three phases of the Blue Origin auction:

  • May 5 to 19, sealed online bidding — you can bid any amount you want on the auction website (no bids are visible)

  • Starting May 19, unsealed online bidding — bidding becomes visible and participants must exceed the highest bid to continue in the auction

  • June 12, bidding concludes with a live online auction

For the sealed online auction, bids can go up to $50,000 — with the company requiring additional identification information and a $10,000 deposit for higher bids, CNBC reports.

The rocket, named after Alan Shepard, who made history by becoming the first American to fly to space, has flown 15 successful consecutive missions to space and back.

There are eligibility requirements to be an astronaut on the flight, including being within the following height and weight range: 5’0″/110 lbs. and 6’4″/223 lbs. You have to be able to dress yourself in a one-piece, zip-up flight suit; climb the New Shepard Launch Tower (equivalent to seven flights of stairs) in under 90 seconds; and be comfortable on the top deck of the launch tower, which is about 70 feet above ground level and surrounded by balcony-like railings.

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