Jeff Bezos is set to beat his billionaire rivals to space. The New York Post reported the world’s second-richest man would fly to play next month on Blue Origin’s first crewed flight. The flight is scheduled for July 20, Mr. Bezos said in an Instagram post. That’s about two weeks after he is set to resign as CEO of Amazon.
Mr. Bezos’ younger brother Mark will join him, as will the winner of a public auction currently held for another seat. Bidding on the auction now stands at $US2.8 million ($A3.6 million).
“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” Mr. Bezos said on Instagram. “On July 20, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend.”
In a hashtag in the post, Mr. Bezos gave the nod to the Latin phrase, “Gradatim ferocity,” which means “step by step, ferociously.” “I want to go on this flight because it’s the thing I’ve wanted to do all my life,” Mr. Bezos added in a video announcement.
Barring surprises, the trip would make Bezos the first billionaire space tycoons travel to space through their own companies. Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, and Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, have yet to ride with their companies to space. Mr. Musk has spoken before about traveling to play with his company but has not yet given a firm timeline.
Mr. Branson, whose Virgin Galactic wants to compete directly with Blue Origin in the space tourism sector, has often spoken about his plans to be among the first of his company’s passengers to space. But delays have seen Virgin Galactic’s earliest scheduled passenger flights pushed to later this year.
New Shepard, Blue Origin’s rocket ship, has flown more than a dozen successful uncrewed test flights. The system is designed to carry as many as six people on a ride to the edge of space. The date of the company’s first crewed flight, July 20, will also mark the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. This article originally appeared in the New York Post and is republished here with permission.
