All That You Need To Know About Jeff Bezos' First Space Sightseeing Flight

If you have always wondered each time you saw Star Trek series how it would be to actually wander in space, then all that’s set to become a reality for a lucky few. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is all set to send its inaugural sightseeing flight to space on July 20. The company’s New Shepherd rocket will ferry passengers into the suborbital space. Here are some interesting things about the human spaceflight that you need to know.

A glimpse of the Blue Origin capsule.

1. Blue Origin is offering the last seat on the spaceflight to people through an auction. Sealed online bidding begun on Wednesday, May 5 and will run for two weeks. Aspiring space tourists are allowed to bid any amount. The company will make the bids public on May 19 and the contest will conclude with a live auction on June 12. This means the winner gets more than month to prepare for the trip.

2. The proceeds from the auction will go to Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, a non-profit organisation that promotes science, maths, engineering, and technology.

3. If you are wondering how much a ticket in the spaceflight would cost, then you will have to wait. Specific details on pricing and future flights hasn’t been disclosed yet.

4. Only six people can board the spaceflight which will travel just beyond an invisible line, known as the Karman line, which separates Earth from space. Both the rocket and the crew capsule have completed 15 test flights over the past few years to prepare for the commercial ferry.

5. The capsule has large windows that will offer passengers stunning views as they spend roughly 10 minutes in zero gravity, where they can float within the cabin before returning to Earth. The entire ride from motor ignition to landing will be roughly 30 minutes, company sources have revealed. 

6. Out of the six seats, five will go to astronauts and the sixth seat to the winner of the auction, provided they meet the requirements. According to the company, the sixth traveler must weigh between 49kg (110 pounds) and 101kg (223 pounds) and should be between 5 feet (1.5 metres) and 6 feet 4 inches (2 metres) in height. Specific details on the other five passengers will be released at a later date. There are a few more passenger flights planned before the end of the year.