The bidding battle for a seat on Jeff Bezos’ spacecraft has reached new heights.
Pre-auction bidding for a slot on Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ July 20 Blue Origin flight closed Thursday at nearly $5 million, according to the space company’s website.
The live auction for the seat launches this Saturday at 12:45 p.m. with an opening bid of $4.8 million, according to Blue Origin.
The winner will accompany Bezos and his brother Mark into orbit on an 11-minute flight.
If the live auction bidding were to close at $4.8 million, the winner would be paying close to $500,000 per minute in space.
The pre-auction attracted bidders from more than 140 countries, the company said. The winning bid will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, which encourages children to pursue careers in STEM.
Bezos’ spacecraft, called the New Shepard, can carry up to six people, but only the two Bezos brothers have been confirmed as passengers.
Pre-auction bidding for a seat on Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ July 20 Blue Origin flight closed Thursday at nearly $5 million.
The New Shephard has flown more than a dozen successful flights without crews.
