SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Jeff Bezos announced Monday that he’s going to space.
The multi-billionaire announced that he’s going aboard the first human flight operated by his aerospace company, Blue Origin.
It is set to break through the Earth’s atmosphere on July 20.
“To see the Earth from space, it changes you. It changes your relationship with this planet, with humanity,” Bezos said in a video announcement.
Bezos said he has been wanting to go to space since he was 5 years old, and he’s not going solo.
He said it will be meaningful to soar through space with his best friend, his brother Mark Bezos.
“I was just awestruck, ” his brother said after Bezos invited him to join.
Bezos’ full Instagram caption read:
“Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space. On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend. #GradatimFerociter“
The winner of an ongoing auction also will be aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft during its scheduled July launch.
The auction for an open seat on New Shepard ends Saturday. The winning bid right now stands at $2.8 million, with almost 6,000 participants from 143 countries. The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, whose mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and to help invent the future of life in space.
Bezos is taking the journey just a couple of weeks after he plans to step down as Amazon CEO.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.