Jeff Bezos’ Space Company is Auctioning Off a Seat into Space This July

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who also runs space venture Blue Origin, has announced this week that his space company will launch its first astronaut crew to space on July 20th.

July 20 will incidentally mark the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Ticket sales or pricing information about New Shepard flights are not available yet, but the company will host a public auction for a seat on the first crewed launch.

New Shepard is designed to carrying as many as six people at a time on a ride that goes past the edge of space.

A sealed online auction will be running until May 19th and bids can go up to $50,000 . The company requires additional identification information and a $10,000 deposit for higher bids. From May 19th and onward, Blue Origin will hold a public bidding process – before a final live online auction on June 12.

“We’re auctioning off the first seat to benefit our foundation Club for the Future,” a Blue Origin video has revealed.

New Shepard capsules on previous test flights have reached an altitude of more than 340,000 feet. The capsule has massive windows to give passengers a view, spending a few minutes in zero gravity before returning to Earth.

The company has yet to fly New Shepard with passengers on board.

Blue Origin’s Director of Astronaut Sales, Ariane Cornell, declined to disclose details on the general ticket prices the company will charge for future trips. After its first flight in July, Cornell said Blue would have “a couple more” crewed flights before the end of the year.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.