Jeff Bezos's space flight: What if something goes wrong on Blue Origin rocket?

A sign and the front gate to the Blue Origin complex is shown one day before the scheduled launch of billionaire American businessman Jeff Bezos and his three crewmates on the company's inaugural human flight to the edge of space, in West Texas, Texas, U.S. July 19, 2021. (Image: REUTERS/Thom Baur)

Billionaire Jeff Bezos and three others are set to go to space on July 20 on Blue origin's New Shepard rocket.

Accompanying Bezos on the sub-orbital trip are his brother Mark, 82-year-old Wally Funk, a former test pilot, and Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen.

The New Shepard comes with an escape system, in the event that the rocket fails. The capsule that carries the passengers is programmed to detach itself from the rocket in such an emergency.

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Our astronauts have completed training and are a go for launch. #NSFirstHumanFlightpic.twitter.com/rzkQgqVaB6

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) July 19, 2021

"It's about 10,000 times more dangerous than flying on a commercial airliner," George Nield, a former associate administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, previously told Insider. "In order to learn how to do this safer, more reliably, and more cost effectively, many people believe we need to keep gaining experience by having more and more of these flights."

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The date of the trip coincides with the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission's landing on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had become the first humans to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969.

The launch can be watched live on Blue Origin's website, where the broadcast will begin at 6.30 am CDT (5 pm IST). The launch is scheduled for 8 am CDT (6.30 pm IST).