CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Outdoing his fellow billionaires in daredevilry, Jeff Bezos will blast into space next month when his Blue Origin company makes its first flight with a crew.
The 57-year-old Amazon founder and richest person in the world by Forbes’ estimate will become the first person to ride his own rocket to space.
Bezos announced his intentions Monday and, in an even bolder show of confidence, said he will share the adventure with his brother and best friend, Mark, an investor and volunteer firefighter. He said that will make it more meaningful.
Blue Origin’s debut flight with people aboard — after 15 successful test flights of its reusable New Shepard rockets — will take place on July 20, a date selected because it is the 52nd anniversary of the first moon landing by Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
The brothers will launch from West Texas alongside the winner of an online charity auction. The 10-minute flight will take its passengers to an altitude of about 65 miles and return to Earth without going into orbit.
