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Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, addresses the media about a simulation model of the New Shepard rocket and crew capsule at the 33rd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, US, April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Isaiah J. Downing/File Photo/File Photo
Billionaire Jeff Bezos secured a seat on a spaceship flight for $28 million during a live auction on Saturday, concluding the month-long bidding process for a sightseeing cruise on Blue Origin’s first flight next month.
Within four minutes of Saturday’s live phone auction opening, bids exceeded $20 million. The auction closes seven minutes after the auction starts. The identity of the winner – presumably a wealthy space enthusiast – was not immediately revealed.
The launch of the Blue Origin New Shepard booster engine from West Texas on July 20 will be a historic moment as US companies strive toward a new era of private commercial spaceflight.
Blue Origin founder and CEO of Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), Bezos, was the world’s richest man and lifelong space lover, racing against fellow aspiring billionaires Richard Branson and Elon Musk to be the first to travel outside the planet. ambiance.
“Seeing Earth from space, it changes you. It changes your relationship to this planet, with humanity,” Bezos said in a video clip before the final bid began, adding that his brother Mark would join him on the trip.
Blue Origin said that as the month-long bidding process closed before the live auction Thursday, the winning number was $4.8 million, backed by entries from more than 6,000 people from at least 143 countries.
“The status of the world’s richest man and one of the most recognizable figures in the business of space is a huge advertisement for space as an area of exploration, manufacturing and investment,” Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas told clients earlier this month.
While the money raised from the event is intended for charity, Blue Origin hopes to stimulate enthusiasm for its fledgling subtropical tourism business.
However, Branson, who founded Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (SPCE.N), may try to steal Bezos’ thunder by joining a potential test flight to the edge of space over the July 4 weekend aboard Virgin’s VSS Unity, a One person familiar with the plane. He said it.
The race is fueling optimism that space travel will become mainstream as emerging technology proves and costs fall, fueling what UBS estimates could be a $3 billion annual tourism market by 2030.
Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, as well as Musk’s SpaceX, have discussed using their rockets to connect distant global cities. UBS says the long-distance travel market could be worth more than $20 billion, although several barriers such as air safety certification could derail plans.
Blue Origin has not disclosed its pricing strategy for future flights.
Reuters reported in 2018 that Blue Origin was planning to charge passengers at least $200,000 for the flight, based on a market study and other considerations, although its thinking may have changed.
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