autoevolution
 

We Know Who Paid $28 Million for a Ten-Minute Trip on Jeff Bezos' Spaceship

Just a few months ago, at a time when space tourism was still something we were looking forward to, Blue Origin auctioned off the first seat on the New Shepard spacecraft. It cost the winner $28 million to get it, even if in the end, it turned out not to be the first seat after all, as in the one who won it still has not flown to space.
A member of the WTO paid $28 million for a trip to space 21 photos
Photo: Blue Origin
Blue Origin NS10 missionBlue Origin NS10 missionBlue Origin NS10 missionBlue Origin NS10 missionBlue Origin NS10 missionBlue Origin New Shepard 11th launchBlue Origin New Shepard 11th launchBlue Origin New Shepard 11th launchBlue Origin New Shepard 11th launchBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin New ShepardBlue Origin capsule interior
Up until this week, the name of the winner was somewhat of a mystery, and all sorts of theories were flying around, with most people expecting the person to be some sort of major celebrity. And the man kind of is a celebrity, although not the kind we’re used to talking about.

Enter Ambassador Justin Sun, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the man behind “an ambitious project dedicated to building the infrastructure for a truly decentralized Internet,” TRON. Or, should we say, the man who paid $28 million for about ten minutes of rocket launch, zero-G, and descent experience.

Blue Origin says the money went to the Club for the Future, an organization that backs a number of space-based charities (yes, there is such a thing).

Although officially bidding for the “first seat,” Sun will take off on the New Shepard in 2022, alongside five others, and will take with him the Grenadian flag for good measure.

To date, there have been three Blue Origin crewed flights to space. The very first one saw Jeff Bezos himself climb on board, the second was spearheaded by Star Trek actor William Shatner, and the third took beyond the Karman line Alan Shepard’s daughter, Laura Shepard Churchley, among others.

At the time of writing, there is no set date for the fourth flight, nor do we know the names of those who will make up the crew.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Daniel Patrascu
Daniel Patrascu profile photo

Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories