Popstar Katy Perry, along with five other women, on April 14 successfully completed a round-trip flight to space aboard Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket. The all-female crew including Katy Perry, Jeff Bezos' fiancé Lauren Sanchez, CBS host Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn were launched to the edge of space, over 60 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth's surface.
The spacecraft lifted off from West Texas at 9:31 am ET and traveled to the edge of space, where the passengers enjoyed a brief moment of weightlessness before returning to Earth in a flight lasting approximately 11 minutes.
Since Blue Origin started its crewed missions in 2021, only 58 people have traveled more than 60 miles above Earth.
According to reports, Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft can carry six passengers just beyond Earth’s atmosphere, providing a few minutes of weightlessness and breathtaking views of the planet. Although the experience may seem priceless, it comes with an expensive ticket.
The exact cost of Blue Origin's civilian mission remains unclear, but if you're interested in taking the same trip as Katy Perry, the Blue Origin website mentions that applicants must pay a refundable deposit of $150,000 (around Rs 1.28 crore).
According to The New York Times, Blue Origin, in 2021, auctioned a seat for its maiden flight for $28 million (Rs 241 crore), with some passengers revealing that they paid anywhere from zero to nearly $30 million (Rs 258 crore) for a single seat.
Similarly, Virgin Galactic has been offering a 90-minute ride to space for $45,000 (Rs 3.85 crore) per seat, while Space Perspective is charging $125,000 (Rs 1.07 crore) per person for a six-hour trip to the stratosphere, , according to the Associated Press.
Axiom Space, a Texas-based startup, is selling a 10-day trip to the International Space Station for $55 million.
In 2021, SpaceX launched a fully civilian mission into orbit, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who is currently nominated to be NASA's chief. The mission had an estimated cost of $220 million.
In recent years, many people, including celebrities, have traveled to space with Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, including Jeff Bezos, Star Trek's William Shatner, former NFL star Michael Strahan, and YouTuber Coby Cotton.
However, not everyone has to spend millions of dollars to go to space. Celebrities like William Shatner and Michael Strahan reportedly flew for free on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket as special "guests."
For now, a trip to space is reserved for ultra-rich or famous people but the growing number of private companies in the sector may soon make it affordable for others.
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