Bidding for a seat on Blue Origin’s first passenger flight to space next month hit $3.5 million on Tuesday, one day after founder Jeff Bezos announced he and his brother will join the auction winner on the flight.
The flight to the edge of space is set for July 20, and it’s lured about 6,000 bids from more than 140 countries, according to Blue Origin.
The space tourism company kicked off the auction for its first passenger seat last month. Bidding will end with a live auction on Saturday.
The highest bid stood at $2.8 million before Bezos, the richest man in the world with a net worth of about $187 billion, announced he would join the flight.
The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, the company said. The foundation tries to encourage kids to pursue careers in STEM, specifically the future of life in space.
New Shepard, Blue Origin’s rocket ship, has flown more than a dozen successful uncrewed test flights.
Jeff Bezos is set to be on Blue Origin’s first flight.EPA
The system is designed to carry as many as six people at a time on a sub-orbital ride to
