Blue Origin launched a crew of six people to space on Sunday, including crypto billionaire Justin Sun, in its New Shepard vehicle. The mission, named NS-34, marked the company’s 14th human spaceflight and took off from West Texas at 8:43 a.m. EDT.
Justin Sun, a 34-year-old billionaire who founded the blockchain platform Tron, was the highest-profile passenger on the flight. He won an auction for a seat aboard the first-ever crewed flight of New Shepard in June 2021 but had to wait due to scheduling conflicts.
Other passengers included Arvinder Singh Bahal, an Indian-born American real estate investor; Gökhan Erdem, a Turkish businessman and photographer; Deborah Martorell, a journalist from Puerto Rico; Lionel Pitchford, who runs an orphanage in Nepal; and James Russell, who flew on Blue Origin’s NS-28 mission in November.
The six-person crew experienced weightlessness during their 10-12 minute flight and reached the Kármán line at 62 miles high. The company has not disclosed ticket prices for its flights.
Blue Origin aims to inspire future generations with its space tourism initiatives. The proceeds from Sun’s $28 million bid, which benefited 19 space-focused charities, will help fund STEAM education programs and promote life in space.
The mission was led by Blue Origin’s senior vice president Phil Joyce, who praised the unity that comes from witnessing the Earth from space.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/blue-origin-launch-crypto-billionaire-justin-sun-launch-suborbital-space-ns-34