Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, is getting ready to leave the planet briefly on Tuesday for the first manned flight of his company, joining the ranks of astronauts in a pivotal moment for the burgeoning space tourism industry. The mission follows nine days after Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, crossed the boundary of Earth's atmosphere, taking a step ahead of Bezos in this billionaires' race.
However, Blue Origin's goals go beyond that, as the New Shepard spacecraft is expected to reach a higher altitude than Virgin Galactic's vehicle. Additionally, the ambitions of its owner, Jeff Bezos, do not stop there. Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the goal of one day building floating space colonies equipped with artificial gravity that could host millions of people for work and living.
The company is currently developing a high-thrust orbital rocket called New Glenn, as well as a landing module for the moon in hopes of securing a contract with NASA's Artemis program. In a statement to AFP, Laura Forczek, founder of the consulting firm Astralytical, said, "They have completed 15 successful uncrewed flights with New Shepard, and we've been waiting for years to see them carry people."
New Shepard will launch at 08:00 (13:00 GMT) on Tuesday from an isolated site in the West Texas desert. The event will be streamed live on BlueOrigin.com, an hour and a half before its launch.
Jeff Bezos will be accompanied by his brother Mark, as well as aviation pioneer Wally Funk, who is 82 years old, and the company's first customer, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, who will become the oldest and youngest astronauts, respectively, in history.
After launch, the New Shepard spacecraft will move through space at speeds exceeding three times the speed of sound, using a hydrogen and liquid oxygen engine, meaning zero carbon emissions. The capsule will then separate from its booster, and the new astronauts can unbuckle their seatbelts to experience weightlessness.
The crew will spend a few minutes at an altitude of 106 kilometers, or six kilometers beyond the Kármán line, which is the internationally recognized boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space. They will then be able to see the curvature of the blue planet and the dark expanse of the rest of the universe through the large windows that make up a third of the cabin space.
Finally, the spacecraft will autonomously return to the landing area north of the launch site, while the capsule begins freefall before deploying three large parachutes and gently landing in the Texas desert.
### Launch Point
After this first flight, Blue Origin's plans for space tourism remain highly unclear. The company is known for its secrecy, having only announced its existence three years after its founding, then adopting a policy of "voluntary silence" until 2015. Unlike Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin has not officially begun selling space tickets, with Oliver Daemen winning his seat in an auction.
The company has not announced the frequency of the flights it intends to organize, although a spokesperson stated to AFP that two more flights are scheduled for this year, with the goal of organizing "more" in 2022. Laura Forczek mentioned that everything will depend on demand and the impact of incidents "that will inevitably happen, as space travel is inherently risky."
Elon Musk’s SpaceX will join the space race in September with an orbital exploratory flight made up entirely of civilians aboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX has also collaborated with Axiom to transport visitors to the International Space Station. Beyond tourism, Blue Origin hopes to replace SpaceX as a primary private partner for NASA, viewing New Shepard as "a kind of launch point and a means to finance higher ambitions," according to Laura Forczek.
