Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, will be flying to space on the first crewed flight of the New Shepard, the rocket ship made by his space company, Blue Origin.
The flight is scheduled for July 20th, just 15 days after he is set to resign as Chief Executive Officer (CEO)of Amazon.
Blue Origin said Bezos’ younger brother, Mark Bezos, will also join the flight.
“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” Bezos, 57, said in a Monday morning Instagram post. “On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend.”
If all goes according to plan, Bezos — the world’s richest person with a net worth of $187 billion — will be the first of the billionaire space tycoons to experience a ride aboard the rocket technology that he’s poured millions into developing.
The flight date is just 15 days after Bezos resigns as CEO of Amazon, a company he founded in his garage in 1994.
In a short video announcement, he said: ‘I want to go on this flight because it’s a thing I’ve wanted to do all my life. It’s an adventure. It’s a big deal for me.’
If he successfully carries his plan out, Bezos will be beating rivals Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Air and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla who have also spoken of ambitious plans to start commercial rocket flying to space.
The two Bezos brothers will be part of a crew of six on New Shepard, along with the highest bidder from the public auction. The remaining places will be taken by Blue Origin staff.