AMAZON founder Jeff Bezos blasted off into space TODAY – Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
The billionaire will head to space onboard his company Blue Origin‘s spaceship, New Shepard- here’s who joined him in the thrilling mission.
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Who is part of the crew?
Mark Bezos
Jeff Bezos’ younger brother Mark, 53, will join him in the company’s maiden voyage.
He previously worked as an advertising executive, after he founded his own marketing agency and then sold it in the 2000s.
He then became an executive at Robin Hood, a poverty-fighting charity in New York City.
Mark served as a volunteer firefighter in Westchester County, New York, for more than a decade.
He has served on a number of non-profit boards, including iMentor, Leary Firefighters Foundation, the Robin Hood Leadership Council, and Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation.
He currently runs the New York-based company HighPost Capital, which investor tracker Crunchbase described as a private equity firm owned by the Bezos family.
Wally Funk
Another member of the Blue Origin’s crew is 82-year-old Wally Funk who trained to be an astronaut in the 1960s but was never given the chance to fly.
She was the youngest graduate of the Woman in Space Program, a privately-funded project dedicated to finding the best female astronauts in the US.
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A group of women, later known as Mercury 13, never got the chance to fly to space, even though they had undergone astronaut training.
And now Funk will fulfill her life-long dream while being set to become the oldest person ever to fly to space.
Oliver Daemen
The last member of the crew is 18-year-old Oliver Daemen.
Known as the “first paying customer” to fly on New Shepard, the 2020 high school graduate will become the youngest person to fly to space.
He took a year off before going back to school to obtain his private pilot’s license.
The young astronaut will be attending the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands starting September 2021 to study physics and innovation management.
According to the Blue Origin website, Daemen has been fascinated by all things space since he was 4-years-old.
He is the son of Somerset Capital Partners CEO Joes Daemen.
Daemen’s father paid for the seat in the historic flight but opted to give the opportunity to his son instead of him.
How were they selected?
Jeff Bezos announced he will be flying to space with his brother in the company’s first human spaceflight on June 7, 2021.
On July 1, 2021, the Amazon CEO revealed that the third member of the crew would be aerospace pioneer Wally Funk.
Bezos shared a photo on Instagram of the moment he asked her to join him.
He wrote in the caption: ”No one has waited longer.
”In 1961, Wally Funk was at the top of her class as part of the “Mercury 13” Woman in Space Program.
”Despite completing their training, the program was cancelled, and none of the thirteen flew.
”It’s time. Welcome to the crew, Wally. We’re excited to have you fly with us on July 20th as our honored guest.”
The last seat of the journey was auctioned off to members of the public with the $28million raised from the sale set to go to charity.
But after the auction winner postponed his trip to space due to “scheduling conflicts, ” the position was offered to 18-year-old Oliver.
When is the rocket launch?
The Blue Origin’s launch is scheduled for 9 am ET (2pm BST) on July 20, 2021.
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That may change depending on the weather on the day, however.
The fully automated, reusable New Shepard booster will launch and land in West Texas.
Here’s how you can watch the launch.
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