Jeff Bezos was on board the first human flight for his space company Blue Origin today, which reached higher altitudes than Richard Branson’s efforts just last week.
I wonder if CEO entrepreneur Jeff Bezos ever envisioned himself being launched into the heavens via a rocket built by his own private company when he founded Amazon all those years ago.
That’s exactly what happened today, though, as Blue Origin launched its first ever human flight to space successfully – Jeff himself strapped inside a re-usable rocket called New Shepard. It is all part of his efforts to fund space travel and make commercial rocket ships a reality. Once you run out of things to sell on the ground you might as well try your luck at the universe itself, eh?
Jeff was joined by his brother Mark Bezos, veteran space racer Wally Funk, and an 18-year-old student. All four returned to the ground safely.
He joins a growing list of billionaire tech entrepreneurs eager to get ahead in the competition for space tourism. Virgin CEO Richard Branson took to the skies himself just a few days ago, beating Bezos in speed but not altitude.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk is also expected to head into space at some point soon – though nothing specific has been announced yet.
Why are billionaires flinging themselves into the great beyond?
There are a variety of reasons for the growing interest in space travel.
For one, it would give tech and travel companies such as Virgin and SpaceX a significant advantage in a new market for commercial space exploration. Being the first to provide public seats inside rockets would be a big deal, and no self-respecting billionaire wants to be seen missing out.
Elon Musk has also said he wants to eventually colonise nearby planets such as Mars and believes humans shouldn’t be a ‘single planet species’. Whether you view that as an abandonment of Earth – given the looming threat of climate change – or a valiant attempt to broaden our galactic ambitions is up to you.
Billionaires also claim that their work in this industry will help solve current problems down on the surface.
Branson was eager to focus on new jobs within the engineering and tech fields being created as a result of Virgin Galactic, while Bezos said that his work with Blue Origin was part of a necessary step forward for ‘our species and civilisation’.
No word yet if we’re allowed in on that step forward as ordinary plebs, mind.
What has been the response online?
While there has been some fanfare online regarding these recent rocket launches – the views from Branson’s plane were extraordinary – equally there has been criticism.
Both Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic’s billionaire slingshot stunts feel particularly tone deaf given their timing. The world is still on the tail end of a devastating pandemic, a significant portion of Oregon is currently on fire, and the UK is undergoing a sweltering heat wave as a direct consequence of climate change.
Many are understandably wondering what the benefits for ordinary people really are as the wealthy white winners of capitalism head to the stars.
It’s unlikely you or I will ever be able to afford a ticket to space, and some have suggested it’s preparation for the rich to abandon us once everything inevitably falls apart on Earth, like a modern day Titanic with less sinking ships and more jet-fuelled explosives. It’d be some way for us to go out though, I suppose.
There is a strong argument that those at the top of the food chain should be spending more of their time on urgent causes such as the climate crisis, poverty, wealth disparity, and a whole lot more. It’s worth noting that Bezos’ ex-wife is now a more generous donator and philanthropist than he ever has been.
Great for Jeff Bezos to use some of the $86 billion he made leeching off the fallout from the pandemic to send himself to space (taking advantage of his rocket company being given an exemption from lockdown policies), while 150 million back down on earth enter extreme poverty.
At the very least, perhaps these demonstrations provide us with a glimpse into a future that utilises our space innovations to combat more pressing issues. The cheaper, more accessible, and common these types of launches are, the more likely they’ll be used for the greater good.
We’ve yet to see if that’ll be the case though. For now, I’ll say one thing. Congratulations, you did it Jeffrey!
I’m Charlie (He/Him), the Editor In Chief at Thred. I studied English at the University of Birmingham and as a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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