On July 20, New Shepard will fly its first astronaut crew to space, and Kent-based Blue Origin will sell one seat on this first flight to the highest bidder in an online auction.
Starting Wednesday, May 5, 2021, anyone can place an opening bid by going to BlueOrigin.com.
Here are the three phases of the auction:
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- May 5-19: Sealed online bidding – you can bid any amount you want on the auction website (no bids are visible)
- May 19: Unsealed online bidding – bidding becomes visible and participants must exceed the highest bid to continue in the auction
- June 12: Live auction – the bidding concludes with a live online auction
The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space.
On this day 60 years ago, Alan Shepard made history by becoming the first American to fly to space. In the decades since, fewer than 600 astronauts have been to space above the Kármán Line to see the borderless Earth and the thin limb of our atmosphere. They all say this experience changes them.
We named our launch vehicle after Alan Shepard to honor his historic flight. New Shepard has flown 15 successful consecutive missions to space and back above the Kármán Line through a meticulous and incremental flight program to test its multiple redundant safety systems. Now, it’s time for astronauts to climb onboard.
This seat will change how you see the world.
“Gradatim Ferociter”
