Jeff Bezos, 3 others ready to fly to edge of the space

New Delhi : Jeff Bezos and three others are set to fly to edge of space, beyond the Karman line, aboard his company Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

Karman Line is 100 kms above the ground and is officially recognized as the border of international space.

The company will launch its first astronaut flight, NS-16, from Launch Site One in West Texas. The liftoff is set for 9 a.m. EDT (6.30 p.m. IST). Jeff Bezos’ dream-come-true trip follows 15 successful test flights to space by New Shepard rockets since 2015, all of them uncrewed. The launch also marks the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Bezos’ flight follows Richard Branson’s flight to the edge of space aboard his company Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity on July 11. Branson’s flight, however, did not go beyond the Karman line. It climbed nearly 86 km above the Earth’s surface.