What do you do when you’re the founder of Amazon, the richest man in the world, with some spare time on your hands? How about taking yourself to space in your very own rocket?
Jeff Bezos has announced that he will be launching himself to space on board of his Blue Origin rockets. In an Instagram video post, the Amazon founder stated that he will make the journey in July next month, along with his brother.
“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of travelling to space,” he captioned the video. “On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend.”
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This plan follows his announcement last week, stating that he would officially step down as Amazon’s Chief Executive on 5 July – shortly before the flight. Instead, he will remain at the company as Executive Chairman, with the move partly intended to allow him to spend more time on his private space company.
The trip will not only serve as a suborbital sightseeing mission, but also a demonstration of the rocket technology that Blue Origin hopes will make space tourism more affordable and widely available in the future.
Bezos and his brother will also travel in the New Shepard rocket ship, along with the winner of a public auction held by the company, that will sell a seat on the same journey. According to the private space company’s website, the highest bid of the second round of the auction currently sits at US$2.8 million, and the final winner will be announced at the end of this week.
Photo: AP