Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, is set to blast off to space Tuesday morning on his company Blue Origin’s first commercial flight.
The Amazon founder, 57, is expected to launch in his New Shepard rocket around 9 a.m. ET from West Texas on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
He will be joined by his 53-year-old younger brother, Mark Bezos; an 18-year-old recent high school graduate, Oliver Daemen; and an 82-year-old space pioneer, Wally Funk.
Daemen and Funk are set to become the youngest and oldest to ever soar into space.
Blue Origin’s fully automated rocket is expected to take them an altitude of roughly 66 miles.
The mission, which is expected to last around 10 minutes from start to landing, will get underway at the company’s facilities in the desert town of Van Horn.
About two hours before liftoff, Blue Origin tweeted that New Shepard was “on the pad” and ready to go.
“The launch team completed vehicle rollout this morning and final preparations are underway,” the post said.
Bezos will be the second in the “billionaire space race” to take off in his own rocket, following Virgin Group founder Richard Branson’s flight on July 11.
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