Latest news with #spaceTourism
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Details about Jeff Bezos' partner Lauren Sánchez's lavish gift from the Kardashians spark outrage: 'This feels like a nightmare'
You might have heard about the joyride into the stratosphere that a group of celebrities took in April aboard a Blue Origin mission. As fast as photos of the "crew" of A-listers clothed in matching violet jumpsuits flooded the internet, the PR stunt turned into a nightmare, and it just keeps coming. Blue Origin is a space tourism company that is revolutionizing space travel. Though the flights do not go very far into space, they are considered a major first step toward future space exploration. However, many have criticized space tourism as a gluttonous waste of money — money that could make a considerable difference if used elsewhere. Though the crew safely returned with, presumably, a newfound respect for our planet. However, the rampant consumerism didn't end there. For surviving the mere 11-minute tour of the edge of space, Lauren Sánchez, billionaire Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' fiancée, was gifted a $7,000 purse from the Kardashians. Mariam Qayum of She Finds reported that the purse was a "dazzling Judith Leiber Couture UFO-shaped clutch. The statement piece, encrusted with baguette and geometric crystals, originally retailed for $6,995." The purse and the flight received the same backlash. According to She Finds, some of the reactions on social media included: "It's just all so tone deaf," "maybe just suggesting that money could've gone to better causes that are needed," and "that money could have been used to feed several families in need." A similar message resounds from the audience regarding the wasteful Blue Origin flight. As everyday members of society transform their lives to lessen the strain on Earth's resources, it can feel frustrating to see the world's most privileged do the opposite. "And to think that every time I throw away a toothbrush I still feel guilty for the unrecycled plastic," said one commenter on an Instagram post from Blue Origin. Billionaires emit a million times more carbon pollution than the average person, according to Oxfam. Between yachts, private jets, and the dirty energy companies that billionaires run and invest in. "This has to change. These billionaire investors at the top of the corporate pyramid have a huge responsibility for driving climate breakdown. They have escaped accountability for too long," said Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO of Oxfam. "This feels like a nightmare," summarized one flight critic on Instagram. Do you think billionaires spend their money wisely? Definitely No way Some do Most do Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- News.com.au
The truth about the future of space tourism
What does the future really hold for space tourism? Once a sci-fi fantasy, space travel for civilians is fast becoming reality—at least for the ultra-wealthy.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After celebrity spaceflight with Katy Perry, Blue Origin unveils crew for next launch
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spaceflight company is preparing to send its next group of passengers on a brief trip high above Earth to witness a view few other civilians have ever seen. The impending spaceflight would be Blue Origin's first since the company made headlines in April when a group of famous women, including pop star Katy Perry, boarded the company's spacecraft for a ride to the edge of space. This time around, though, the crew is comprised not of celebrities, but of educators and entrepreneurs. Blue Origin announced Wednesday, May 21, the names of the crew members who are due to fly on the company's famous New Shepard spacecraft when it lifts off again from rural West Texas. The launch, the date for which has not yet been announced, would be New Shepard's 12th human spaceflight and 32nd flight overall. Here's everything we know so far about Blue Origin's next rocket launch from Texas: Billionaire Jeff Bezos, best known for founding Amazon, is the founder of the private space technology company Blue Origin. Bezos himself even boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard for its maiden crewed voyage in July 2021, which came after the spacecraft flew on 15 flight tests beginning in 2012. For nearly four years since its first crewed mission, the New Shepard spacecraft has served as a powerful symbol of Blue Origin's commercial spaceflight ambitions amid a growing space tourism industry. In addition to sending space tourists on brief joy rides to the edge of space, Blue Origin has also increasingly sought to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX. Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket, which flew on its inaugural flight test in January, is also being developed for future spaceflights. At 320 feet tall, the spacecraft rivals SpaceX's 400-foot Starship in size. Even Amazon is competing with SpaceX by developing its own Kuiper internet satellite constellation in a direct challenge to Starlink. Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launches take place from the company's private ranch facility known as Launch Site One in Van Horn, Texas – more than 140 miles east of El Paso. However, the company has not yet announced the date for its next crewed launch, known as NS-32. Once the New Shepard does get off the ground again, the six people selected to board it will join 58 others who have flown on the spacecraft across 11 previous human spaceflights. Here's a look at who was announced for the mission: Aymette (Amy) Medina Jorge, a STEM teacher at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, Texas, who has led more than 60 zero-gravity space experiments. Gretchen Green, a radiologist specializing in women's imaging with more than 20 years of clinical experience. Jaime Alemán, a Panamanian attorney, businessman, and former ambassador to the United States. Jesse Williams, a Canadian entrepreneur and adventurer who serves as CEO of Car History Group, which he founded in 2012. Mark Rocket, an entrepreneur from Christchurch, New Zealand, who is CEO of Kea Aerospace, which develops solar-powered UAVs for aerial imaging and monitoring, and president of Aerospace New Zealand. Paul Jeris, a real estate developer and entrepreneur The upcoming Blue Origin launch comes on the heels of a highly publicized celebrity spaceflight on April 14 featuring musical artist Katy Perry and broadcast journalist Gayle King. Also on the flight for the mission known as NS-31 was civil rights activist and bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who is the fiancé of Jeff Bezos. The women made history as the first all-female crew to travel to space since 1963, when the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova completed a solo spaceflight, Blue Origin has said. But the women who were part of the mission also faced widespread backlash for a launch that was widely criticized as a marketing ploy that contributed to Earth's pollution. Each spaceflight on a New Shepard vehicle lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown. Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the 60-foot-tall New Shepard rocket is topped with the gum drop-shaped crew capsule. During its ascent, the spacecraft reaches supersonic speeds surpassing 2,000 mph before the rocket booster separates from the crew capsule. At that point, those aboard the capsule become weightless as the spacecraft continues toward its highest point on its brief voyage above the Kármán Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space. While experiencing a few minutes of microgravity, passengers have the opportunity to unstrap themselves from their seats to gaze out the capsule's large windows and take in a stunning view of Earth. Meanwhile, the rocket booster heads back to the ground while firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent to land about two miles from the launchpad. The capsule itself eventually begins what Blue Origin refers to as a "stable freefall' – plummeting back to Earth as three massive parachutes deploy and the capsule makes a soft landing in the desert, sending up plumes of dust. If you have dreams of blasting off to orbit on a Blue Origin spacecraft, you likely need to either have very deep pockets or a name that's recognizable enough to get you invited as an honored guest. Though Blue Origin does not publicly list prices on its website, a form to reserve a seat requires customers to agree to a $150,000 deposit alone. And if the price of the first ticket sold for a Blue Origin spaceflight is any indicator, seats likely cost in the millions of dollars. The $28 million ticket price was the winning bid in an auction that included 7,600 people registered to bid from 159 countries. However, a select few passengers over the years have had their seats aboard New Shepard paid through grants and other funding methods from large institutions. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Blue Origin announces 1st launch since Katy Perry, Gayle King flight
South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Virgin Galactic plans to raise ticket price for space trips from current US$600,000
Virgin Galactic says it plans to charge more for its space tourism flights when it resumes sales in the first quarter of 2026. Advertisement The Richard Branson-founded company had been selling tickets for suborbital joyrides on its forthcoming Delta spacecraft at about US$600,000 a seat Company executives did not disclose a new price tag during a call with analysts after Virgin Galactic reported results for the first quarter last week. The company competes with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin in selling short trips to space for sightseeing and research. Virgin Galactic's now-retired VSS Unity taking off for a suborbital space flight from the US state of New Mexico in 2024. The company will replace it with its forthcoming Delta spacecraft. Photo: Anadolu via Getty Images The first flight with the new spaceship – a research mission – is planned for summer 2026, with private astronaut flights slated for the autumn of that year, the company said. Virgin Galactic paused tourism operations in June 2024 to focus on developing its upgraded Delta spacecraft.
National Post
16-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Virgin Galactic to increase price for space tourism flights
Article content Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. said that it plans to charge more for its space tourism flights when it resumes sales in the first quarter of 2026. Article content Article content The Richard Branson-founded company had been selling tickets for suborbital joyrides on its forthcoming Delta spacecraft at about US$600,000 a seat. Company executives didn't disclose a new price tag during a call with analysts after Virgin Galactic reported results for the first quarter on Thursday. Article content Article content The company competes with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin LLC in selling short trips to space for sightseeing and research. Article content Article content The first flight with the new spaceship — a research mission — is planned for summer 2026, with private astronaut flights slated for the fall of that year, the company said. Virgin Galactic paused tourism operations in June 2024 to focus on developing its upgraded Delta spacecraft. Article content Shares of Virgin Galactic, which have slumped to under $5, rose about 13% in postmarket trading after closing at $3.35. Article content The revamped Delta vehicles will hold six passengers, two more than in the vehicle used on previous trips. The new craft also is designed for faster turnaround between missions. The company said that it will be able to clear the existing backlog of ticket holders in about a year using the new spacecraft. Article content Virgin Galactic reported revenue of about $460,000 for the first quarter, slightly above the roughly $400,000 analysts were expecting. Article content
