Jeff Bezos space launch: Latest updates as Amazon founder launched into space on Blue Origin rocket

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Jeff Bezos launches himself into space on Blue Origin rocket

Jeff Bezos and three fellow passengers have made a pioneering journey into space.

The trip saw the space tourists take a brief trip off the Earth before coming back down again.

Mr Bezos has promoted the trip as a breakthrough moment for space tourism, which arguably represents the first time that paying, civilian passengers have been sent to space on board a private rocket. It is also the first time that humans have ever ridden on board a spacecraft made by the Amazon founder’s private space company, Blue Origin.

But at the same time, the trip has been criticised by many as an indulgence, with the billionaire spending money and other resources that could be better used to improve life on Earth.

• Oliver Daemen: The millionaire’s son, 18, going to space with Jeff Bezos
• Blue Origin launch: What time does Jeff Bezos and crew go to space and how can you watch?
• Jeff Bezos flight crew: Who will be on Blue Origin rocket and how much is the launch costing?
• Watch live as Jeff Bezos launches himself into space

[20 July 2021 09:40 · Andrew Griffin]

Musk wishes Bezos and Blue Origin 'best of luck'

Here’s our full story on the good luck messages being sent to Jeff Bezos from his rivals in the billionaire space race.

[20 July 2021 09:43 · Andrew Griffin]

YouTube live stream goes up ahead of flight

Blue Origin’s live stream of today is up already, if you want to set a bookmark, tell it to remind you, or do anything else. You can find it here:

We’ll also be streaming the launch live on this page.

[20 July 2021 11:16 · Andrew Griffin]

Bezos continues to face criticism over flight

Jeffrey Bezos might want the focus to be on his trip to space today. But plenty of people are pointing out that he still has questions to answer about his behaviour on Earth.

This has become something of a theme as the Blue Origin rocket sets off: that space tourism might look a little gauche in a time where people can hardly afford to live on Earth. That Mr Bezos’s fortune comes from Amazon helps play into that same criticism.

He was asked about this, sort of, during an interview with CNN. He said his critics were “largely right”, but argued that it is possible both to fix things on Earth as well as travel to space. (He didn’t say exactly what he was doing to improve things here on our home planet.)

[20 July 2021 11:20 · Andrew Griffin]

Stream begins in just over an hour

We’re getting close to the launch – of the live feed, if not the rocket itself. You can get all the times here.

[20 July 2021 12:28 · Andrew Griffin]

Streams go live from launch site

The ever-streaming NASASpaceflight, who do a great job tracking launches from SpaceX to Nasa, are now live from the Blue Origin launch site. You can see their video here:

They have noted that the connection isn’t great at the West Texas location, so the quality might suffer later on. It’s looking good for now though.

[20 July 2021 12:50 · Andrew Griffin]

Live stream is live

You can watch the stream live on Independent TV, here.

[20 July 2021 13:06 · Andrew Griffin]

Flights to the edge of space are not just ‘joyrides’ for the rich, say scientists

While the edge-of-space is an arbitrary boundary defined differently by various government bodies and organisations, and is also the current tourist destination for billionaires likeJeff BezosandRichard Branson, sub-orbital flight may offer an alternative platform for some science experiments conducted at the International Space Station, say scientists.

Read the full story here.

[20 July 2021 13:09 · Andrew Griffin]

Nasa astronauts grow chili peppers on space station in experiment that will help ‘successfully send people to Mars’

In a breakthrough that could be useful to anyone going to Mars, or Blue Origin customers who want a more interesting in-flight meal, astronauts are growing red and green chili peppers in space.

Full story here.

[20 July 2021 13:10 · Andrew Griffin]

Here, from The Atlantic’s Marina Koren, is what the scenery looks around the launch site in West Texas.

[20 July 2021 13:22 · Andrew Griffin]

Jeff Bezos being driven to rocket

The passengers are on their way to the rocket, “down the road to space”, as the commentator on Blue Origin’s live feed says.

(Blue Origin)