LIVE: Jeff Bezos to Blast Off to Space Aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket

(July 20) Jeff Bezos is poised to blast off for an 11-minute ride on his company’s rocket, fulfilling a childhood dream to explore space and furthering a push to make space tourism viable. The world’s richest man, his brother and two others will fly on the New Shepard built by Blue Origin, the space company Bezos founded in 2000 with a vision of millions of people living and working in space. The rocket is scheduled to launch from West Texas at about 8:00 a.m. local time, in Blue Origin’s first flight with passengers aboard. The New Shepard has previously flown unmanned 15 times. At an altitude of 47 miles (76 km), a 10-foot-tall capsule with large windows and reclining leather seats will detach from the booster and ascend beyond the Karman line 62 miles above the Earth, where the passengers experience a few minutes of weightlessness and unforgettable views. They then strap back in and freefall toward the desert ground with six parachutes. Just before touchdown, a retro thruster slows the descen