Billionaire Jeff Bezos is Currently Flying to Space via Live Broadcast

Billionaire Jeff Bezos is flying to space aboard his own New Shepard rocket and capsule system. The landing of the flight is being streamed live on the New Shepard First Human Flight YouTube channel. This will be an 11-minute journey from Western Texas near Van Horn. Bezos is expected to fly to about 100 km, thus performing the world's first crewed space flight with a civilian crew.

The Shepard rocket is 18 meters tall and 4 meters wide. It is a reusable spacecraft. The ship will ascend to approximately 76 km altitude. After that, it will make a landing on Earth using three parachutes.

In addition to Bezos, his brother and executive director Mark Bezos, 82-year-old female pilot Wally Funk, and 18-year-old Dutchman Oliver Daemen are flying to space. Thus, the flight will become record-breaking as it will feature both the oldest and the youngest male to travel to space.

It is noteworthy that Funk was set to become an NASA astronaut in the early 1960s, but her dream was unfulfilled due to her gender. Daemen will be in space thanks to his father, who is the founder and president of Dutch Somerset Capital Partners. He purchased a ticket for nearly 28 million dollars but forfeited the spot to his son.