Space flight pioneer Blue Origin set to sell a single journey into the cosmos at an auction
Blue Origin, the space exploration company founded by Jeff Bezos, is making headlines with its upcoming private space voyage. The company is offering one seat on the maiden voyage to the winning bidder through an online auction.
The Bidding Process
The auction consists of three phases: sealed online bidding (May 5-19), unsealed online bidding (May 19), and a live online auction (June 12). During the sealed online bidding phase, participants can submit their bids privately. On May 19, the bids will be unsealed, and the bidding will transition to an open, unsealed online auction. The final phase, the live online auction, will take place on June 12.
A Charitable Auction
The winner of the auction will not only experience a once-in-a-lifetime journey but will also be making a significant contribution to charity. The winning bid amount for the Blue Origin space voyage will be donated to the Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future. This foundation aims to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space.
A Historic Flight
The spaceflight company is planning to launch its first private space voyage on July 20, 2021. This mission coincides with the anniversary of the Apollo 11 astronauts landing on the moon. The New Shepard spacecraft will carry three astronauts, including the space tourist, and will offer three minutes of zero gravity.
Previous Auction and Cost Estimates
In 2021, Blue Origin held a bidding event for the inaugural flight seat. The winner, Justin Sun, paid $28 million as a philanthropic contribution rather than a fixed ticket price. This bid was the highest for the first crewed New Shepard flight and the funds were donated to 19 space-focused charities to support STEAM education and space initiatives.
Current estimates suggest that the tickets for the Blue Origin space voyage will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars each. Ariane Cornell, Blue Origin's director of astronaut sales, believes that the cost of the space voyage will encourage more people to participate.
Future Space Voyages
Ariane Cornell also expects that the prices for future space voyages may decrease as the scale increases. Blue Origin's suborbital launch vehicle, named New Shepard, will fly its first astronaut crew into space. The space tourist, the winner of the auction, will be a part of the first astronaut crew to fly on the New Shepard spacecraft.
In summary, the Blue Origin auction for a seat on its upcoming space voyage is an exciting opportunity for a lucky bidder to experience space travel while also making a charitable contribution. The bidding process is ongoing, with the live auction scheduled for June 12. While the exact cost of the space voyage remains proprietary information, it is expected to be in the six figures.
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- Blue Origin, a company known for space exploration, is offering one seat on the maiden voyage of its upcoming private space voyage through an online auction (contains: eco, trip, voyage, space-and-astronomy).
- The winner of the auction will make a significant contribution to charity, as the winning bid amount for the Blue Origin space voyage will be donated to the Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future (contains: charity, finance, tourist).
- Blue Origin's suborbital launch vehicle, named New Shepard, will fly its first astronaut crew into space. The space tourist, the winner of the auction, will be a part of the first astronaut crew to fly on the New Shepard spacecraft (contains: space-and-astronomy, technology, tourist).
- In 2021, Blue Origin held a bidding event for the inaugural flight seat. The winner, Justin Sun, paid $28 million as a philanthropic contribution rather than a fixed ticket price (contains: science, finance, trip).
