Spare $200,000? Tickets for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin flight to the edge of space aboard the New Shepard rocket go on sale TODAY
- Blue Origin to open ticket sales for trips to space on its New Shepard rocket
- It’s expected to announce pricing, the first flight and where to buy seats
- Previous sources have suggested tickets will be at least $200,000
- The flight is expected to send six passengers at a time into orbit
- They will spend at least 10 minutes floating in zero gravity inside the capsule
It has been years in the making, but Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will finally open ticket sales Wednesday for suborbital sightseeing trips on its New Shepard spacecraft.
The aerospace company is set to announce pricing, timing of the first flight and how to purchase a seat aboard the rocket.
Although the Bezos-owned firm has kept a tight lid on such details, Reuters reported in 2018 that passengers could expect to pay at least $200,000 for the ride into orbit.
The news comes just six days after Blue Origin teased tickets would soon go on sale in a video shared to Twitter, which stated ‘Details coming May 5.’
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It has been years in the making, but Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will finally open ticket sales Wednesday for suborbital sightseeing trips on its New Shepard spacecraft. The aerospace company is set to announce pricing, timing of the first flight and how to purchase a seat aboard the rocket
Blue Origin, founded in 2000, touts itself as means to provide cheaper access to space through the use of reusable rockets, specifically the New Shepard that has flown 15 times.
The rocket’s sole mission is to take tourists to space, who would travel inside a sleek, white capsule atop the vehicle.
The capsule is designed with the iconic Blue Origin feather across the exterior and inside are six reclining seats that mirror those inside a helicopter.
Blue Origin’s plans are to send tourists 62 miles above Earth’s surface and spend at least 10 minutes in orbit.
Blue Origin, founded in 2000, touts itself as means to provide cheaper access to space through the use of reusable rockets, specifically the New Shepard that has flown 15 times
The capsule is designed with the iconic Blue Origin feather across the exterior and inside are six reclining seats that mirror those inside a helicopter
At this altitude, passengers will experience weightlessness due to the zero gravity and see the curve of the planet with the darkness of space as the backdrop.
Blue Origin also recently conducted its first astronaut rehearsal in preparation for sending the first manned New Shepard into space.
The mock crew traveled the designated path of future spacefaring tourists, which included traveling to the launch pad and climbing up the tower to the passenger capsule.
While celebrities and the uber-rich appear to be a core market for space tourist jaunts, at least initially, industry sources expect Blue Origin to include some philanthropic component to its ticket strategy.
The idea of sending paying customers to the edge of space was once only a plot in science fiction films, but many companies other than Blue Origin are turning the epic journey into a reality.
The news comes just six days after Blue Origin teased tickets would soon go on sale in a video shared to Twitter, which stated ‘Details coming May 5′
A college science professor and an aerospace data analyst are among a four-member crew for a launch into orbit planned later this year by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, part of a charity drive billed as the first all-civilian spaceflight in history.
Virgin Galactic also aims to fly private customers in early 2022, after a first flight with Branson on board later this year.
Its zero-gravity experience is anchored by its SpaceShipTwo plane, and the company has ambitious plans to offer point-to-point travel between far-flung cities at near-space altitudes.
Virgin says it will charge more than $250,000 for new reservations but has not announced final pricing. Sales will reopen following Branson’s flight.
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