The first passenger to ride along a crew launch on Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft will pay at least $2.8 million.
The space firm, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is auctioning off one of its six seats for its first 11-minute crewed flight set to launch July 20.
RUSSIA WANTS IN ON THE SPACE TOURISM MARKET, TOO
The auction for the ride began May 5 with sealed online bidding. The unsealed portion started Wednesday and will continue through June 10. A live online auction will take place on June 12, according to the company’s website.
More than 5,200 applicants from 136 countries have entered the bid for the winning ticket, according to Business Insider.
The most recent successful flight of New Shepard was April 14 when a crash-test dummy, dubbed “Mannequin Skywalker,” blasted off into space. It was the spacecraft’s 15th consecutive test flight.
The proceeds raised from the New Shepard auction will go toward Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, which encourages youth to pursue STEM for careers in science, technology, engineering and math. It also aims to foster investments into space exploration.
Russia also expressed interest in space tourism, as billionaires such as Bezos and SpaceX owner Elon Musk pursue lucrative space endeavors for the ultra-wealthy.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to Blue Origin for comment.
