Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin has announced the crew lineup for its upcoming NS-34 mission on the New Shepard rocket. Crypto mogul Justin Sun, the founder of Tron, is among the high-profile individuals that are set to jet off into the cosmos on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
This NS-34 mission is Blue Origin’s 14th human spaceflight and features a diverse crew of six. Joining Justin Sun are Indian-origin real estate entrepreneur Arvinder Singh Bahal, Turkish businessman Gökhan Erdem as well as Puerto Rican meteorologist and journalist Deborah Martorell. Spain-based teacher and traveler Lionel Pitchford and Alpha Funds founder James Russel are also part of the mission.
In an official statement shared on Monday, July 21 Blue Origin said that the date of the flight will be “announced soon”.
From bid to boarding: Sun’s space wait finally over
Sun, 34, had first shown his strong inclination to experience this extraordinary flight to space in 2021 when he shelled out $28 million to bid on a seat on Blue Origin’s inaugural New Shepard spaceflight. Owing to scheduling conflicts, however, Sun could not join the first flight that launched in July 2021.
The capital from Sun’s bid made for a significant collaboration between crypto and space. Out of the $28 million donated by Sun was allocated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future. Grants worth $1 million were also distributed to 19 different space-focused charities.
The same year, Sun announced his “Sea of Stars” campaign as well. Under this initiative, he planned to nominate five individuals from varied fields to accompany him to space. However, as of now, the initiative has not been completed.\
Confirming Blue Origin’s announcement on X, Sun called himself “The youngest Chinese commercial astronaut”.
According to Blue Origin’s announcement, the live webcast of Sun’s space exploration will start streaming on the launch day, 30 minute prior to the take-off.