Eighteen-year-old Oliver Daemen will become the first paying customer to fly to space onboard New Shepard, billionaire Jeff Bezos’ space rocket, according to Blue Origin’s website.
The teen will join Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos and Wally Funk aboard the first New Shepard human flight July 20, according to Blue Origin. Daemen will become the youngest astronaut to travel to space, joining 82-year-old Funk, who was previously announced as the oldest. (RELATED: Jeff Bezos Announces He’s Going To Space With His Brother)
View this post on Instagram
The original winner of Blue Origin’s auction, who is remaining anonymous, paid $28 million to snag the final seat aboard the craft. Blue Origin announced today that the original winner will fly on a future mission due to “scheduling conflicts.”
The money raised from the auction has enabled Club for the Future, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Blue Origin, to donate $19 million to various nonprofit organizations, all of which the website states support the future of living and working space.
CEO of Blue Origin, Bob Smith, said the company is honored to welcome Daemen to fly on New Shepard. “This marks the beginning of commercial operations for New Shepard, and Oliver represents a new generation of people who will help us build a road to space,” Smith said in a statement.
Daemen, a 2020 high school graduate, who’s Facebook page states he’s from Oisterwijk, Netherlands, took a gap year before continuing his studies to obtain his private pilot’s license. In September, Daemen will attend the University of Utrecht to study physics and innovation management.
View this post on Instagram
Daemen has been fascinated by space, the Moon and rockets since he was 4, according to Blue Origin. Flying on New Shepard will fulfill a lifelong dream.
The company did not reveal how much Daemen paid for his seat aboard the spacecraft.