Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos to Be on Blue Origin’s First Human Space Flight: The New Shepard spacecraft is scheduled for launch from West Texas on July 20
Jeff Bezos appears to be taking a different tact than Elon Musk in space exploration. I don't think Musk has ridden one of SpaceX's rockets yet?
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Jeff Bezos plans to travel to space next month as part of the first crew carried by Blue Origin, the Amazon.com Inc. founder’s space company.
Mr. Bezos said in an Instagram post Monday that he will be one of the inaugural passengers on Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft, during its first crewed flight scheduled for launch from West Texas on July 20. Mr. Bezos, 57 years old, said that his brother, Mark Bezos, will also be on board.
Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. are competing in the emerging market for suborbital travel. After years of delays, the two companies are promising passengers a short joy ride for prices expected to be less than $500,000, based on prior comments from Virgin executives. Mr. Branson plans to join Virgin Galactic’s third crewed test flight later this year.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard has made 15 uncrewed test flights, which the company said demonstrates the mission’s safety. Most commercial aircraft don’t carry passengers before undergoing an intensive series of hundreds of piloted flights.
“I want to go on this flight because it’s a thing I’ve wanted to do all my life,” Mr. Bezos said in a video posted to Instagram. “It’s an adventure. It’s a big deal for me.”
Mr. Bezos is stepping down as Amazon’s chief executive July 5 after leading the company for more than two decades, and has invested heavily in Blue Origin, contributing as much as roughly $1 billion a year.