Jeff Bezos in space: maybe it won’t be the trip everyone expects

Everything is ready for the flight into orbit of the Blue Origin company's New Shepard: Jeff Bezos, how long will the Amazon founder spend in space.

The experience will certainly be exceptional, but, to look at the glass half empty, it will last very little indeed. In short, the last stage of the space race, which will have warmed the hearts of those who follow with enthusiasm the space exploration (and maybe counts to experience it firsthand in the future) reveals an unexpected backstory. Because yes, surely it will be an expensive and pioneering enterprise, but clearly lacking in comparison to the dreams of an eventual space tourist.

It is news of the last days that Jeff Bezos, patron of Amazon and richest man on the planet, will reach the low earth orbit thanks to a spacecraft, the New Shepard, built by the company, owned by the multibillionaire, Blue Origin. Founded in 2000, the company aims, in the future, to offer everyone the experience experienced by its excellent test pilot: weightlessness and spectacular views, thanks in part to the largest set of windows ever built on a spacecraft.

Among the cons, that of durability.

What is Bezos' journey into space

The Blue Origin mission will take Jeff Bezos into space together with a billionaire who has offered a staggering amount of money for the honor of being the first extraterrestrial travel companion of the influential e-commerce magnate. Along with the two, Jeff's brother, Mark Bezos.

The orbit excursion, which has already had a huge media coverage thanks to the excellent participation, certainly doesn't hold a candle to the ambitious plans of Elon Musk's Space X company. The competition in this is rather to be found in Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, another space company of "small" tonnage.

How long will the Amazon patron's trip aboard New Shepard last

How long will Bezos' upward journey last then? Just 11 minutes. Of which 3 will be those spent in orbit. The time to unfasten the safety belts, experience the thrill of weightlessness, take a look at the continents and oceans embraced with one immense glance from above and leave in the time needed for a safe landing.

On July 20, New Shepard, this is the name of the spacecraft, will take Bezos and the winner of an online auction held on the site of the manufacturer Blue Origin into space (this is how much it costs, at the end of the bidding, the space ticket for the tandem). The amount was donated to Blue Origin's foundation, "to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM - which roughly means 'science subjects' - and help invent the future of life in space," the logistics champion and owner of, among other things, The Washington Post wrote on Instagram.

In a video uploaded to the same sharing platform, Bezos recounted how he dreamed of going to space since the age of 5. A very long-standing goal that will come true on July 20, "when I take that trip with my brother," Bezos writes. "The greatest adventure, with my best friend."

Giuseppe Giordano