Our live coverage of Blue Origin’s spaceflight has ended.Read more on the flight here.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos successfully flew to space this morning on the first crewed flight of New Shepard, a rocket ship made by his space company, Blue Origin. The trip took approximately 10 minutes.
If you’re just reading in, here’s what you need to know about the flight — and what comes next for the company:
Blue Origin’s New Shepard traveled over 60 miles above Earth in its first crewed trip to space. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, joined by his brother Mark Bezos, pilot Wally Funk and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, experienced about three minutes of weightlessness during the 10-minute flight to space.
Jeff Bezos’ trip came only nine days after British billionaire Richard Branson launched into space with the help of his company, Virgin Galactic. The two billionaires have been intertwined in the “billionaire space race,” as both men have worked to develop, test and launch suborbital rockets that can take customers to space.
Although Branson was the first billionaire to reach space on a craft he helped fund on July 11, Bezos is now considered the richest person to launch into space.
Today, Branson’s company congratulated Blue Origin on its “successful flight.”
“It continues to be a great time for commercial space travel! We are encouraged by seeing more people exploring and conducting research in space, and creating a positive impact here on Earth,” Virgin Galactic wrote on Twitter, adding that the two companies will together “open space for good!”
Here’s a look at the company’s messages:
Congratulations on a successful flight from all of us@VirginGalactic.
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic)July 20, 2021
It continues to be a great time for commercial space travel! We are encouraged by seeing more people exploring and conducting research in space, and creating a positive impact here on Earth. Congrats to@blueorigin on today’s successful flight, together we’ll open space for good!pic.twitter.com/NFJmFotjnt
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic)July 20, 2021
Former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin said that he thinks Blue Origin spaceflight can help inspire more civilians to go to space.
“I think if more people can see the type of technology that’s been applied to this, autonomous rockets that are taking off and landing, we have a whole spectrum of people that are going to be thinking ‘hey, one day I may start my own company and build my own rocket.’ And maybe that’s a kid from a ZIP code that doesn’t usually get a chance to do some of these things. And so seeing this access and opportunity and belief that anything is possible for all kids,” Melvin said to CNN’s Ana Cabrera.
Melvin said having a capsule and rocket that are reusable is a “game-changer.”
“I think this is going to be making space more affordable. The price point will come down for more tourists to be able to go to space,” he said.
After Jeff Bezos and crew completed their spaceflight today, Blue Origin announced it is open for ticket sales. Those interested in flying on a future Blue Origin flight were asked to send the company an email — but they did not divulge how much a ticket will cost. Blue Origin hasnot sold tickets to the general public yet.
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