Unknown bidder pays US$28 mln for space trip with Amazon’s Bezos

The winner of the auction will fly on the spacecraft with Jeff Bezos and his brother for about 10 minutes.

PRETORIA, June 14 (ANA) – An anonymous bidder paid US$28 million for trip to space with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos during a live auction on Saturday, Sky News reported.

The British broadcaster said on Sunday the unknown bidder would get to fly with Bezos and his younger brother Mark on his rocket company Blue Origin’s spacecraft in July.

“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of travelling to space. On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend,” Bezos wrote on his Instagram account.

More than 7,500 people from 159 countries registered to bid in the online auction, with 20 going through to the final round, Sky News said.

The money from the bid will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, which promotes science and technology among young people, the company posted on its Twitter account.

It said the name of the auction winner would be released in coming weeks.

According to Blue Origin’s website the company plans to launch its passengers more than 100 km above Earth’s surface, allowing them to experience microgravity.

The trip is expected to last about 10 minutes.

According to the BBC, the spacecraft named New Shepard can land vertically on the ground after returning from space. It is named after Alan Shepard, the second person and first United States citizen to fly into space.

Last month, Bezos announced that he would formally step down as Amazon chief executive officer on July 5.

According to CNBC News, Bezos will transition to executive chairman of Amazon’s board and is expected to dedicate more time toward initiatives like the Bezos Earth Fund, his Blue Origin spaceship company, The Washington Post newspaper and the Amazon Day 1 Fund.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa