10-Minute Space Trip for Amazon Billionaire

Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, who founded Blue Origin more than two decades ago, embarked on his first space flight alongside his brother Mark Bezos, the youngest space explorer ever Oliver Daemone (18 years old), and aerospace pioneer Wally Funk (82 years old).

Earlier, on July 5th, Bezos resigned as CEO of Amazon. Speaking to CNN, Jeff Bezos said: "I should have taken this flight while I was CEO of Amazon. We believed it was a safe flight. If it wasn't safe for me, it wasn't safe for anyone else."

Of the three remaining bidders, young physics student Oliver Daemone replaced the winner of the June auction. According to Blue Origin, the individual who spent $28 million to fly into space with Jeff Bezos was unable to participate due to scheduling conflicts and chose to go on a later trip.

10 minutes of history...

At 8:12 PM (Vietnam time), the engines were activated, and the New Shepard rocket took off, carrying Jeff Bezos and his crew to the edge of space in a flight expected to last more than 10 minutes.

Approximately 16 seconds after liftoff, the New Shepard spacecraft rotates slightly to complete a rotation in 2-3 minutes, allowing the crew to see 360 ​​degrees of space around them during liftoff.

One minute and 53 seconds after liftoff, the spacecraft reached an altitude of 30 km.

After 4 minutes, the spacecraft reached an altitude of over 106 km. Fourteen seconds later, the New Shepard booster separated from the passenger capsule and returned to Earth, intending for a controlled landing. The spacecraft's passenger capsule continued its journey towards the edge of space.

The New Shepard booster landed safely on the landing pad, approximately 7 minutes and 23 seconds after takeoff. Meanwhile, the crew capsule reached its maximum altitude of 104 km above the ground. Jeff Bezos and those on board experienced three minutes of weightlessness, floating in the cabin and gazing at Earth.

Eight minutes and 21 seconds after takeoff, the passenger cabin deployed its parachutes for landing.

Ten minutes and eighteen seconds after takeoff, the New Shepard's passenger cabin successfully landed, concluding a historic landmark trip for billionaire Jeff Bezos.

According to CNN, before landing, the passenger cabin uses a "reverse thrust system" to create an air cushion, making the landing smoother. In addition, passenger seats are equipped with scissor-type shock absorbers.

"I want you to know that there's a very happy crew here. This is the best day of my life," Jeff Bezos shared as the passenger cabin landed.

Christina Bezos, Jeff Bezos's sister, sent a message to her two brothers before their historic flight: "Hurry up, come down here so I can give you a big hug." She said that going into space had been Jeff Bezos's dream since he was a child.

Space tourism will no longer be a distant dream.

Gary Lai, a senior executive at Blue Origin and former NASA employee, said New Shepard is the safest vehicle ever built to take humans into space. "Every critical system on board has backups, the biggest of which is the crew escape system," he added.

Prior to launch, four days beforehand, participants must arrive at Blue Origin's assembly point. For two days, they receive training on weightlessness and practice sitting in enclosed capsule spacecraft. Blue Origin's spacecraft can carry up to six people and fly autonomously, without a pilot.

According to previous test flights, the New Shepard rocket begins its journey at a speed of approximately 3,704 km/h, nearly three times the speed of sound. This is the first time New Shepard has been test-flown with a crew present on board.

Earlier on July 11th, billionaire Richard Branson successfully flew to the edge of space aboard Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spacecraft. These were the final tests before the companies commercialize space tourism services in 2022.

Huyen Chau - Photo: Blue Origin