A Billionaire's Long-Awaited Space Adventure

Justin Sun, the crypto mogul, is finally set to embark on a journey to space. He paid a whopping $28 million for a seat on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft. This is not his first attempt. He was supposed to fly in 2021 but had to cancel due to scheduling issues. Then, he planned to go in 2022 with a group called "space warriors, " but that didn't happen either. Now, he's officially on the list for the next flight, NS-34. Sun is not the only one going up. He will be joined by a diverse group of passengers. There's Arvinder Singh Bahal, a real estate investor who has visited every country and both poles. Gökhan Erdem, a Turkish businessman and space enthusiast, is also on the list. Deborah Martorell, a journalist and meteorologist from Puerto Rico, will be there too. She has even taken a microgravity flight and reported on NASA's Artemis 1 mission. Lionel Pitchford, an Englishman living in Spain, has a heartwarming story. He founded a nonprofit in Nepal after losing his sister and her family in a plane crash. James Russell, an entrepreneur and founder of the Victoria Russell Foundation, is the only one with prior spaceflight experience. He flew on the NS-28 mission in November 2024. The New Shepard spacecraft is designed for a smooth ride. It's autonomous, so passengers can just sit back and enjoy the view. The flight lasts about 10 to 12 minutes, reaching an altitude of over 62 miles. During this time, they will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see Earth from space. The spacecraft launches from Blue Origin's site in West Texas, near Van Horn. It's a short but thrilling journey. This will be the 14th crewed flight for New Shepard and the fifth mission of 2025. The last one, NS-33, took off on June 29. Blue Origin has not yet announced the exact date for NS-34, but it's expected soon. Sun's journey to space has been a long time coming, and it's finally within reach.