Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Blast off for Bezos: Amazon tycoon to join Blue Origin’s first manned space launch

Blast off for Bezos: Amazon tycoon to join Blue Origin’s first manned space launch

Jeff Bezos will be the first passenger to board his rocket company Blue Origin’s inaugural manned space launch next month, he revealed today.

Jeff Bezos will be the first passenger to board his rocket company Blue Origin’s inaugural manned space launch next month, he revealed today.

The Amazon billionaire, 57, announced the news on Instagram this morning, telling his millions of followers that his younger brother Mark will also join the trip, which blasts off from Texas on July 20 - the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

They will be accompanied by the final winner of a month-long online auction for a third seat on New Shepard spaceship. The top bid currently stands at $2.8million (£2million).

The widely-anticipated launch follows six years of secretive trials and is being seen as a landmark in the drive to usher in a new era of private commercial space travel.

“I want to go on this flight because it’s a thing I wanted to do all my life.” Bezos says in the video.


He wrote: “Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space. On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend. #GradatimFerociter“

The Latin phrase is Blue Origin’s motto, and means “Step by Step, Ferociously.”

The New Shepard craft has flown more than a dozen successful test flights over the past six years without passengers on board, including one in April at the company’s facility in the Texas desert.

It can carry as many as six people at a time on a ride beyond the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. Capsules on previous test flights reached an altitude of more than 340,000 feet (or more than 60 miles).

The craft features a giant window giving passengers a view of the Earth below: passengers spend a few minutes in zero gravity before returning to Earth.


Bezos, who is the world’s richest man with a net worth of $187 billion, will become the first of the billionaire space tycoons to experience a ride aboard the rocket technology that he’s poured millions into developing.

Elon Musk, whose SpaceX builds rockets powerful enough to enter orbit around Earth, has yet to announce any intention to travel to space aboard one of his company’s capsules.

Richard Branson’s space company Virgin Galactic is also planning to conduct flights to space for wealthy tourists: Branson, 70, has long said he would be among the first passengers when its rocket-powered plane finally takes flight.


The cachet of claiming victory in the new private space race will not be lost on Bezos, who will formally step down as Amazon’s CEO two week’s earlier.

“To see the Earth from space, it changes you.. it changes your relationship with this planet, this humanity...” Bezos added. “It’s an adventure... it’s a big deal for me.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
×