The price to go into space with Jeff Bezos and his brother next month is a cool $ 28 million
June 12, 2021, 5:52 p.m.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – An auction for next month’s space trip with Jeff Bezos and his brother ended Saturday with a bid of $ 28 million.
Amazon founder’s rocket company Blue Origin did not disclose the winner’s name after the live online auction. The identity will be revealed in a couple of weeks – closer to the short flight up and down from West Texas on July 20, the 52nd anniversary of the moon landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
It will be the first human-on-board launch of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which will fuel the company’s space tourism business. Fifteen previous test flights of the reusable missile and capsule since 2015 – short jumps of around 10 minutes – have all been successful.
Saturday’s auction was followed by online bids for more than a month, which hit $ 4.8 million as of Friday. According to Blue Origin, more than 7,500 people from 159 countries have registered for an offer. More than 20 bidders – the high rollers – took part in the auction on Saturday.
Bezos announced Monday that he and younger brother Mark would be on New Shepard’s first crew flight; the news quickly sped the bidding process. The prize will be donated to Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, an educational initiative promoting science and technology among young people.
The fully automatic capsule can carry up to six passengers, each with its own large window. Ariane Cornell, Blue Origin’s top sales director, said after the auction that the fourth and final seat on the first crew flight will be announced shortly.
Blue Origin has not yet opened ticket sales to the public or announced prices.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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