Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will take its first paying customer to the edge of space on July 20, the firm announced Wednesday.
The aerospace company is conducting an online auction for one seat aboard its New Shepard rocket, in which will be awarded to the highest bidder.
The auction opens today with sealed bidding through May 19, which will then show all bids online and allow others to outbid the highest amount.
And on June 12, a live auction will be held to determine the final winner.
‘We are offering one seat on this first flight to the winning bidder of Blue Origin’s online auction,’ Blue Origin shared in the announcement.
‘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.
Blue Origin is also naming its first suborbital trip after astronaut Alan Shepard, who was the first American to fly into space exactly 60 years ago.
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Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will take its first paying customer to the edge of space on July 20, the firm announced Wednesday. The aerospace company is conducting an online auction for one seat aboard its New Shepard rocket, in which will be awarded to the highest bidder
Previous news had suggested Bezos was set to announcing pricing per ticket, but instead is offering one seat through an auction.
No other details have been provided on training or the process in which the winner will endure prior to launching into orbit.
Blue Origin, founded in 2000, touts itself as means to provide cheaper access to space through the use of reusable rockets, specifically the New Shepard that has flown 15 times.
The rocket’s sole mission is to take tourists to space, who would travel inside a sleek, white capsule atop the vehicle.
Blue Origin, founded in 2000, touts itself as means to provide cheaper access to space through the use of reusable rockets, specifically the New Shepard that has flown 15 times
The capsule is designed with the iconic Blue Origin feather across the exterior and inside are six reclining seats that mirror those inside a helicopter
The capsule is designed with the iconic Blue Origin feather across the exterior and inside are six reclining seats that mirror those inside a helicopter.
Blue Origin’s plans are to send tourists 62 miles above Earth’s surface and spend at least 10 minutes in orbit.
At this altitude, passengers will experience weightlessness due to the zero gravity and see the curve of the planet with the darkness of space as the backdrop.
Blue Origin also recently conducted its first astronaut rehearsal in preparation for sending the first manned New Shepard into space.
The mock crew traveled the designated path of future spacefaring tourists, which included traveling to the launch pad and climbing up the tower to the passenger capsule.
While celebrities and the uber-rich appear to be a core market for space tourist jaunts, at least initially, industry sources expect Blue Origin to include some philanthropic component to its ticket strategy.
The idea of sending paying customers to the edge of space was once only a plot in science fiction films, but many companies other than Blue Origin are turning the epic journey into a reality.
The news comes just six days after Blue Origin teased tickets would soon go on sale in a video shared to Twitter, which stated ‘Details coming May 5′
A college science professor and an aerospace data analyst are among a four-member crew for a launch into orbit planned later this year by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, part of a charity drive billed as the first all-civilian spaceflight in history.
Virgin Galactic also aims to fly private customers in early 2022, after a first flight with Branson on board later this year.
Its zero-gravity experience is anchored by its SpaceShipTwo plane, and the company has ambitious plans to offer point-to-point travel between far-flung cities at near-space altitudes.
Virgin says it will charge more than $250,000 for new reservations but has not announced final pricing. Sales will reopen following Branson’s flight.