Jeff Bezos in Space: What the 10-Minute Blue Origin Flight Will Be Like

When Blue Origin LLC’s New Shepard rocket launches former Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos into space Tuesday, one seat will be occupied by 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, the first paying customer to fly on board the rocket.

Mr. Daemen has been fascinated by space since he was four, according to the company. He graduated from high school in 2020 and recently obtained his private pilot’s license. This September, he will attend the University of Utrecht to study physics and innovation management.

The auction winner who bid $28 million for the opportunity to be on the first crewed mission by Blue Origin was unable to make the trip due to scheduling conflicts, according to the company, and Mr. Daemen was selected instead. The auction winner, whose identity is undisclosed, will fly on a future flight.

For those who don’t have that kind of money to spend on a roughly 10-minute flight to space and experience a few minutes of weightlessness, here’s what you could expect to see if you had won the auction.

Of course, if you still want to watch the actual launch, it will be broadcast live online beginning at 7:30 a.m. EDT on July 20 at BlueOrigin.com. Liftoff is scheduled for 9 a.m. EDT, which is subject to change.