An airline ticket by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos next month went on sale for $ 28m.
The payment process, which began in early May, provided access to more than 7,000 people from 159 countries, Blue Origin said. The price was set at $ 4.8m ahead of Saturday’s auction, which was shown online.
The identity of the winner will not be announced in public, but will be revealed in the coming weeks, Blue Origin said.
Everyone who will be traveling is accompanied by three other people, including Bezos and his younger brother, Mark. The “fourth and final” rider will be announced soon, the company said.
About 10 minutes from launch to arrival, about three of which will be used in gravity, the trip will cost the winner more than $ 9m per minute used in space.
Prize money will be donated to the Club of the Future, the foundation of Blue Origin which focuses on STEM programs.
The installation is due to take place in Texas on July 20, 15 days after Bezos is due to relinquish his position as Amazon chief executive.
A spokesman for the company declined to comment if Bezos’ decision to step down could be related to his desire to take the trip, which will be the first to have people on board.
“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve been dreaming about going into space,” Bezos said in an Instagram post last week.
“On July 20, I will take this trip with my brother. A wonderful trip, with my best friend.”
To date, 15 New Shepard capsule pilot tests have been conducted. All did well except the first, in April 2015, when the rocket crashed hard, although the capsule returned to Earth safely.
A successful trip to the New Shepard Cup could be the first flight to take civilians across the Kármán line, which is an international border, more than 60 miles from the world.
However, the Blue Origin program is said to have launched an acceleration from Virgin Galactic, a tourist tourism company founded by Sir Richard Branson, to achieve its goals.
“Look at this place. . . ”A businessman wrote in a recent tweet. The company owned successful exams last month.
Blue Origin, which is currently held by Bezos’ proceeds from the sale of its shares in the Amazon, did not announce anything on future travel prices – but said “highly competitive” competitors would be asked to look for upcoming flights.
