Bid to blast off with Bezos

JEFF BEZOS’S aerospace company Blue Origin will fly its first astronaut crew aboard its space tourism rocket called New Shepard on July 20, the company said.

“We are offering one seat on this first flight to the winning bidder of Blue Origin’s online auction,” the company said.

The auction is divided into three phases. A sealed online auction will run until May 19 and bids can go up to $50 000 (about R700 000) – with the company requiring additional identification information and a $10 000 deposit for higher bids. Then, from May 19 onward, Blue Origin will hold a public bidding process before a final, live online auction on June 12.

“The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future, to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space,” the company said.

The five-storey New Shepard rocket is designed to launch a crew capsule with seats for six roughly 100 000m into the sky towards the edge of space. Paying tourists will be able to experience a few minutes of weightlessness in microgravity and witness super high-altitude views of Earth. | IANS