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(Pocket-lint) – Former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos performed a suborbital ride on July 20 using a rocket made by his space exploration company, Blue Origin. Bezos was beaten into space by fellow billionaire Richard Branson for about 9 days, but he went higher than Branson’s inaugural Virgin Galactic flight.
When did Jeff Bezos go to space?
The spaceflight took place on July 20, 2021, or the 52nd anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. Liftoff took place at 9 am ET (2 pm UK time) from the launch site in Texas. The entire flight lasted less than 15 minutes.
How did he get into space?
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket is a reusable, fully automated spacecraft with enough room for six passengers on board. It’s more like a traditional space rocket with a capsule that sits on top of a booster. Once at the required height, the two separated, the capsule falling back to Earth using a parachute as the booster flies.
How deep did Jeff Bezos fly in space?
The New Shephard was targeting the Karman Line, which is the altitude at which space begins. It’s about 62 miles above sea level. Only a few minutes of Bezos’ flight were spent over the Karman Line. You can see a graph of the flight path on the Blue Origin website or below.
Blue Origin
How does that compare to Virgin Galactic?
Bezos’ flight went 9 miles higher – or deeper, depending on how you see these things – into space than Richard Branson’s Unity rocket plane, which went about 53 miles above sea level. Bezos also made the trip in under 15 minutes, while Unity took 90 minutes.
According to NASA, the two heights above sea level are considered “space,” the space agency declaring that professional, military and commercial astronauts who travel above an altitude of 80 km are given astronaut wings.
The two billionaire’s space companies have clearly taken a very different approach to entering space. Blue Origin’s New Shepard is more akin to a traditional looking rocket that fires vertically, while Virgin Galactic is flown on a plane before strengthening further.
Did Jeff Bezos make the trip alone?
No. Bezos was joined by:
His brother, Mark Bezos
Wally Funk, an 82-year-old woman who successfully completed NASA’s astronaut training program in the 1960s and was one of the first Mercury 13s
Oliver Daemen, the 18-year-old son of Joes Daemen, CEO of Dutch private equity firm Somerset Capital Partners, who paid $ 28 million for the seat in a Blue Origin auction
How to watch Jeff Bezos go to space
Blue Origin hosted a live stream on YouTube starting at 7:30 am ET on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. You can watch the replay video above. It is also published on the Blue Origin website. Be sure to also check out Bezos’ Instagram, where he shared several launch videos of him and his team.
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Written by Maggie Tillman and Stuart Miles. Originally published on .
