Crypto pioneer Justin Sun to fly to space on New Shepard
Justin Sun revealed he placed the winning bid for a seat aboard Blue Origin’s first crewed suborbital spaceflight. However, he had to postpone his trip for scheduling reasons. Now he is expected to fly in late 2022 along with five others he plans to select as part of his “Sea of Stars” campaign. Credit: Blue Origin
It has been revealed that Chinese entrepreneur Justin Sun won the winning bid for what was originally to be the first seat aboard Blue Origin’s inaugural New Shepard rocket with a human crew.
Sun, a World Trade Organization ambassador for Grenada and founder of the Tron cryptocurrency platform, made the announcement himself on Dec. 22, 2021. His $28 million bid last summer had secured his seat on the first crewed flight of New Shepard, but he had to skip it for scheduling reasons. At the time, he wished to remain anonymous.
Now, Sun has announced he plans to pick five people to join him for the 11-minute suborbital journey. To do this, he is launching the “Sea of Stars” campaign to denote that Earth is where the “chapter of human life starts, not where it ends.”
The five crewmates he will nominate for this voyage are expected to be leaders in the worlds of art, technology and cryptocurrency and include a social media influencer.
When he flies, Sun is expected to be the first international diplomat, first Grenadian and first blockchain industry leader to go to space, according to a press release on the subject. He is also planning to bring along the Grenadian flag.
“With the rapid development of commercial aerospace, entering space may become a dream that every person can realize in his or her lifetime. We are entering the era of great spaceflight. This great journey requires more people to get involved,” Sun said. “The initiative of Blue Origin to take more people to space to see Earth as our singular common home is extraordinary. Club for the Future offers a way to use that experience to inspire youth around the world to dream and act on their dreams of science, technology, and space exploration. I felt compelled to help further that vision through my bid.”
Currently, the flight for Sun and his five crewmates is slated to fly in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Video courtesy of Tron Foundation
Theresa Cross
Theresa Cross grew up on the Space Coast. It’s only natural that she would develop a passion for anything “Space” and its exploration. During these formative years, she also discovered that she possessed a talent and love for defining the unique quirks and intricacies that exist in mankind, nature, and machines. Hailing from a family of photographers—including her father and her son, Theresa herself started documenting her world through pictures at a very early age. As an adult, she now exhibits an innate photographic ability to combine what appeals to her heart and her love of technology to deliver a diversified approach to her work and artistic presentations. Theresa has a background in water chemistry, fluid dynamics, and industrial utility.
