Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced Monday he and his brother are going to join the highest bidder on board Blue Origin’s first human space flight.
The mission scheduled for July 20 will be the first crewed flight of the New Shepard, named after the first American astronaut in space, Alan Shepard, according to HuffPost. The reusable rocket made by his company Blue Origin has completed 15 consecutive missions to space, successfully returning every time.
“I want to go on this flight because it’s a thing I’ve wanted to do all my life,” Bezos said in an Instagram video posted Monday. “It’s an adventure. It’s a big deal for me.”
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“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” the Amazon CEO wrote in the caption of the video. “On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend.” (RELATED: Amazon To Get New CEO, Jeff Bezos To Transition Into Executive Chair Role)
The auction, the winner of which will accompany Bezos and his younger brother Mark Bezos, will end Saturday. As of Monday morning, the highest placed bid was $2.8 million, with nearly 6,000 people from 143 countries having entered the auction, according to The Associated Press.
The space flight will reach 60 miles above Earth and is expected to last for 11 minutes, CNN reported.
Bezos is expected to step down from his role as the CEO of Amazon 15 days prior to the mission.