Jeff Bezos Is Going To Space
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Today, Jeff Bezos said he will launch himself into space on July 20, fifteen days after he is set to resign as CEO of Amazon. Bezos will be a passenger on the first crewed flight of the New Shepard, a rocket ship made by his space company, Blue Origin. He will be joined on the trip by his brother, Mark Bezos.
"Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space," Bezos announced on Instagram. "On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend."
Per CNN, Blue Origin features a six-seater capsule and 59-foot rocket. During Bezos's journey, the rocket ship will embark on an 11-minute flight which will reach more than 60 miles above Earth. If these plans remain, Bezos will be the first of the "billionaire space tycoons" to leave the Earth himself—something neither Elon Musk of SpaceX nor Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic has done.
New Shepard's launch will mark the end of six years of extensive testing of the rocket and capsule conducted by Blue Origin, the space company Bezos founded in 2000. According to the Blue Origin website, the company aims for "the vision of enabling a future where millions of people are living and working in space to benefit Earth."
Jeff and Mark Bezos will not be alone on their space flight. In May, Blue Origin announced that it would auction off one seat on the flight to the highest bidder. According to the company, the money garnered from the auction will be donated to Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future, which promotes STEM education initiatives. Per NBC, bidding is already at $2.8 million with nearly 6,000 participants from 143 countries.
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