A hitherto unknown person is allowed to go into space with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for $28 million (more than €23 million). He won an auction for a place in a Blue Origin rocket, the space company of wealthy Bezos.
Bezos plans to bring tourists into space for the first time with Blue Origin on July 20. His brother Mark also goes, as well as a fourth person. The company stated that nearly 7,600 people from 159 countries participated in the auction. The identity of the exhibitor will not be revealed in the coming weeks, Blue Origin says.
The New Shepard rocket (named after astronaut Alan Shepard) should reach an altitude of more than 100 km after launch in Texas. The passengers are weightless there for a few minutes and see the curvature of the Earth. The craft then plunges back into the atmosphere to land again on Earth. The 11-minute flight will be Blue Origin’s 16th spaceflight, but it’s the first time people have been on board.
The €23 million offered will be transferred to the fund set up by Blue Origin in 2019 future clubThrough which the company aims to encourage young people to choose careers in the fields of science, technology and mathematics.
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