On Tuesday 20th July 2021, Jeff Bezos became a member of one of the galaxy’s most exclusive clubs: he became only the second tech billionaire to travel into space under his own steam, joining Richard Branson who (

) flew 53 miles above the earth in his Virgin Galactic shuttle SpaceShip Two Unity 22 on 11 July.

Now Bezos, 57, has achieved what he called his “childhood dream” after spending 11 minutes in space after the first successful launch of his spaceflight company Blue Origin. Bezos’ ship, the New Shepherd, successfully surpassed the Karman Line, reaching a height of 66.5 miles above earth – eclipsing Branson’s own journey by over 12 miles.

Bezos was joined by his brother Mark, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen and 82-year-old aerospace pioneer Wally Funk. Daemen and Funk have now become the youngest and oldest person to ever travel to space, respectively.

Daemen replaced an anonymous person who had paid £20.6 million for a seat on the flight but cancelled at short notice due to “scheduling conflicts.”

Funk has had a lifelong involvement with the space programme but until this week had never travelled there after being turned down by NASA in the 1970s. Despite this, as part of the (un-government affiliated) 1961 ‘Mercury 13’ training programme she set a record after enduring a sensory deprivation tank without hallucinating for 10 hours and 35 minutes.

Doubtless, the flight was a life-changing experience for all involved. “I know it’s going to change me and I’m excited to find out how,” Mr Bezos had told CNN before the flight.

Exactly what this means for the future of space travel remains to be seen. Here are our best guesses.

Named after Alan Shepard, the first American to go to space – Bezos’ rocket New Shepard favoured a unique design. Cylindrical in nature with a domed head, it was widely regarded to look unfortunately phallic. But, according to experts contacted by the 

“There’s a long history of what we call hammerhead rockets,” on which the capsule’s diameter is wider than the booster, said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. “If you’re careful, it actually has perfectly fine aerodynamics.”

Designed with large portal windows to offer the best view of the earth from space ever recorded, the New Shepherd has been engineered to balance control with the customer experience – a first for space flight. Rest assured its design will influence the rest of Blue Origin’s commercial fleet.

Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson congratulated Bezos on the launch — but the rivalry burns brightly


2. Galactic billionaire rivalries are hotting up 

“Well done @blueorigin, @jeffbezos, Mark, Wally and Oliver. Impressive! Very best to all the crew from me and all the team at @virgingalactic” Branson 

 after Bezos’ flight in what is surely an attempt to turn the other cheek after Blue Origin’s twitter account criticised Branson’s own space flight earlier this month.

Elon Musk had also offered Bezos good luck ahead of the flight. Musk also tweeted yesterday that Space X had enjoyed a successful booster test, reminding everyone that he is, in fact, not only still involved in this space race but possibly it’s most promising participant.

In other words, the space race is still firmly on.

, the three companies share different but overlapping goals. Virgin Galactic wants to “dominate space tourism”; Blue Origin wants to “make access to space cheaper and more reliable through reusable launch vehicles” and Space X wants to make “the colonisation of Mars affordable”.

While Musk’s ambitions may put exploration rather than turning a profit first, news on when he will be travelling to space is scarce. According to 

, Musk may have already booked a seat on Branson’s next Virgin Galactic flight, which would make him the first of the three to effectively hitch a ride into space…

While Branson’s plans focus on space tourism and Musk wants to colonise Mars, Bezos has other ideas.

Following the successful launch, Bezos has naturally been considering what could be improved, including how quickly his rocket could be refuelled. He’s also rumoured to be working on a larger rocket as well as a range of engines it will offer to other rocket companies and even a lunar lander – handy if you want to visit the moon during your annual leave, perhaps.

He isn’t the only one branching out, though. Despite his focus on tourism, Branson’s Virgin Galactic will carry out some scientific missions. According to the 

, Alan Stern, a planetary scientist and associate vice president of the Southwest Research Institute’s space science and engineering division, will reportedly travel with Virgin Galactic as early as 2022 to carry out suborbital experiments in a flight paid for by NASA and the Southwest Research Institute.

In other words, Bezos, Musk and Branson seemingly recognise the scientific opportunities afforded by their space exploration and will look to capitalise on it, even if it isn’t the main focus of their business model.

The Blue Origin rocket — (un)suprisingly phallic?


“This is a big moment for commercial space, it’s hugely significant,” said Greg Autry, a former White House liaison to Nasa.

Autry is right: with a successful flight under his belt and a happy paying customer in the form of Daemen, the race to book a seat aboard the next commercial space flight is on with Blue Origin announcing via Twitter it was accepting more bookings.

While the winner of Daemen’s seat paid £20 million for the ticket, Blue Origin has yet to set a fixed price for its trips and may continue with its auction model.

Laura Forczyk, owner of space consulting firm Astralytical, told the 

 that Bezos and co could even find research entities including governments and NASA could purchase tickets, as they have for Alan Stern. In fact, Space X is already used as a freight transporter, ferrying supplies to the International Space Station.

“What we’re seeing now is the emergence,” Forczyk said. “We do not know yet how quickly this industry is going to mature.”

5. There’ll be more scrutiny regarding Amazon’s Earth-bound practices

As the richest man on the planet, Jeff Bezos has long been under scrutiny, especially when it comes to his company avoiding tax while his workers suffer through reportedly inhuman conditions for minimal pay.

 pointed out in 2020 “Jeff Bezos’s net worth has reached nearly $200 billion. Amazon itself is valued at $1 trillion. The minimum hourly wage for Amazon warehouse workers is $15.”)

Naturally, Bezos jetting into space on a jolly while this issues remain unresolved has left some critics not best pleased.

In fact, shortly after his space flight, Bezos addressed Amazon employees, saying “

.” – a comment which drew criticism from many corners.

, prior to the flight, Warren Gunnels, a staffer for Bernie Sanders 

“Class warfare is Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson becoming $250 billion richer during the pandemic, paying a lower tax rate than a nurse and racing to outer space while the planet burns and millions go without healthcare, housing and food. #TaxTheRich”

Bezos responded to such criticism ahead of this flight: “We have to do both. We have lots of problems here and now on Earth and we need to work on those and we also need to look to the future, we’ve always done that as a species and as a civilization. We have to do both.”

The Tumultuous History of Virgin Galactic

The best private members' clubs in New York

Michael Wolff on what Rupert Murdoch really wants in life

Pavilion Knightsbridge: A stylish bolthole for the discerning businessman