Jeff Bezos to be Blue Origin’s first space passenger

Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO of Amazon, but he’s already got his next mission.

>> Read more trending news

Bezos will be the first passenger to climb on board his Blue Origin rocket on July 20. The date is significant, as it will be the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

The announcement was made on Instagram, where Bezos said, “I want to go on this flight because it’s the thing I’ve wanted to do all my life.”

His brother, Mark Bezos, will accompany him on the July 20 launch, CNN reported.

They will be joined by the winner of an auction for one of the seats. As of Monday morning, the winning bid was $2.8 million. The auction ends June 12, CNBC reported.

Up to six people can be carried in the New Shepard capsule to the edge of space. It has large windows that allow passengers to see the Earth from a new point of view. Passengers also get to experience zero gravity before landing back on Earth, CNBC reported.

The company has not announced how much the price for tickets will be, CNN reported.

Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000, and the company has held more than a dozen test launches, CNN reported.

©2021 Cox Media Group