Jeff Bezos Flies Blue Origin to Suborbital Space
The Richest Human's Journey
Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon, embarked on a suborbital space flight on July 20, 2021, aboard the New Shepard rocket developed by his company, Blue Origin.
Details of the Flight
The flight lasted approximately 10 minutes and reached an altitude of over 63 miles (100 kilometers), crossing the boundary of space as defined by the international community.
Bezos was joined by his brother, Mark Bezos, and two other individuals: Oliver Daemen, an 18-year-old Dutch student, and Wally Funk, an 82-year-old former astronaut.
Significance of the Flight
The successful flight represents a significant milestone in commercial space travel.
- It is the first crewed suborbital spaceflight conducted by a private company.
- It demonstrates the feasibility of reusable rockets, which could significantly reduce the cost of space travel.
- It paves the way for future space tourism and scientific research.
Comparison to Richard Branson
Bezos' flight comes just days after the successful suborbital spaceflight of Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic.
- While both flights reached suborbital space, Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket traveled higher, crossing the internationally recognized boundary of space.
- The New Shepard rocket is fully reusable, while Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is air-launched from a carrier aircraft.
Future Plans
Blue Origin plans to continue developing its New Shepard rocket system and offer commercial space flights to paying customers.
The company is also working on a larger reusable rocket called New Glenn, which is intended for launching satellites and other payloads into orbit.
Sources
- New York Times: Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin Fly to Space
- BBC: Jeff Bezos: Blue Origin boss reaches space in rocket launch
- The Verge: Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin successfully launch into space
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