Bezos and his team said they breached it. Competitor Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has more than 800 employees. A ticket to space can cost $200,000 or more.īezos said Blue Origin plans two more flights this year, and sales of private seats on his flights are approaching $100 million.īranson and his crew hurtled historically to the edge of space last week. Blue Origin employs thousands across several states and campuses. Bezos launched a much quicker trip to space in what the world's richest man hopes will be a lucrative business. Tuesday's flight marked the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

'Congratulations to all of Team Blue past and present on reaching this historic moment in spaceflight history,' Blue Origin tweeted. 'This first astronaut crew wrote themselves into the history books of space, opening the door through which many after will pass.' The exultant travelers climbed out of the capsule to hugs from family and friends. Funk, 82, is the oldest person ever in space. 'Best day ever,' Jeff Bezos said after touchdown, greeted by a sea of cheering Blue Origin employees and others at the company's campus.Īlso on board were his brother Mark, longtime women-in-space advocate Mary Wallace 'Wally' Funk, and Oliver Daemen, the de facto winner of an auction for the capsule’s fourth seat. The capsule containing the astronauts landed with parachutes and a 'cushion of air' created by retrorockets a little more than 10 minutes after liftoff. The booster rocket touched down smoothly, a vertical landing about seven minutes after liftoff. The New Shepard provided large windows to enjoy the view, and the crew was treated to three or four minutes of weightlessness. 'Happy, happy, happy!' Jeff Bezos said from space. VAN HORN, Texas – Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin rocket crew realized dreams and made history Tuesday, blasting off from the West Texas desert, reaching space and returning to Earth in a smooth parachute landing minutes later. Watch Video: Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin crew make history after reaching space

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