Jeff Bezos, owner of Kent-based Blue Origin, and his brother Mark Bezos will be part of the company’s first human flight to space on July 20.
“Ever since I was 5 years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” Bezos posted Monday, June 7 on Instagam. “On July 20, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend.”
Blue Origin also is holding a seat on the flight for the highest bidder on an auction it began May 5. The high bid was at $3.2 million as of Monday morning. The auction has attracted nearly 6,000 participants from 143 countries, according to the company.
The unsealed online bidding continues until Thursday, June 10. The live online auction will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 12 for all verified bidders. Participants must raise their bid limit by June 10 at 2 p.m. to participate in the June 12 live 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.
The winning bidder will join the company’s first astronaut crew, Bezos and his brother into space. The flight will be from Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas. The flight will last about 11 minutes.
Blue Origin’s goals are to get astronauts back on the Moon and people living and working in space. The company opened in Kent in 2000 and expanded its headquarters in 2020 to a 236,000-square-foot blue-colored facility along 76th Avenue South between South 212th and South 228th streets.
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