Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin on July 15 announced that an 18-year-old boy is the first paying customer who will be on board to fly to space along with the company’s maiden crewed spaceflight.
Taking to Twitter, the aerospace manufacturer wrote, “Welcome to the crew, Oliver! We’re grateful to have you as our first customer to mark the beginning of commercial operations. #NSFirstHumanFlight”
With this announcement, Oliver Daemen will go to space accompanied by the Blue Origin’s founder Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark, and Wally Funk is boarding the first human flight involving the New Shepard spaceship.
With the combination of astronauts aged as young as 18-year-young Oliver and as old as 82-year-old Funk, the New Shepard spaceship will travel to space on July 20.
Oliver, who graduated from high school last year, holds a private pilot’s license and becomes the youngest astronaut. He did not win a $28 million auction; hence, he has been asked to remain anonymous and join the team on a mission in the future, the Blue origin elaborated.
“This marks the beginning of commercial operations for New Sepherd, and Oliver represents a new generation of people who will help us build a road to space, CEO of Blue Origin, Bob Smith, stated.
Oliver will be attending the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands this September to study physics and innovation management.
