Amazon founder Jeff Bezos riding his own rocket in July, joining 1st crew
Washington, Jun 7: Jeff Bezos will ride his own rocket into space next month, joining the first crew to fly in a Blue Origin capsule.
The Amazon founder announced Monday he will launch July 20 from Texas along with his firefighter brother Mark.
Also making the 10-minute up-and-down hop will be the highest bidder in a charity auction.
Bezos is stepping down as Amazon's CEO on July 5 - just 15 days before liftoff - to spend more time on his space company as well as his newspaper, The Washington Post. His stake in Amazon is currently worth USD 164 billion.
To see the Earth from space, it changes you. It changes your relationship with this planet, with humanity. It's one Earth, Bezos, 57, said in an Instagram post.
I want to go on this flight because it's a thing I've wanted to do all my life. It's an adventure. It's a big deal for me.
Bezos said he invited his younger brother - his best friend - to share the journey and make it even more meaningful.
The flight will officially kick off Blue Origin's space tourism business. The company has yet to start selling tickets to the public or even to announce a ticket price for the short trips, which provide about three minutes of weightlessness.
The capsule can hold six people, each with their own large window. The company hasn't said who might occupy the remaining three seats on the debut passenger flight.
Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson also plans to launch aboard his own rocket later this year, after one more test flight over New Mexico. SpaceX's Elon Musk - who's already transported 10 astronauts to the International Space Station over the past year - has yet to commit to a spaceflight.
Blue Origin successfully completed the 15th test flight of its reusable New Shepard rocket in April, with the capsule reaching an altitude of 66 miles (106 kilometers). Before liftoff, a mock crew strapped into the capsule for practice, then hopped out, paving the way for the upcoming flight with passengers on board.
The company's launch and landing site is in remote west Texas, 120 miles southeast of El Paso and close to the Mexican border.
For its first crew launch, the company chose the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
It also used a space anniversary in May to announce an online auction for a seat on the flight - the 60th anniversary of the first US spaceflight by Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, for whom the rocket is named.
The current high bid is USD 2.8 million. The auction will conclude Saturday, with the winning amount donated to Club for the Future, Blue Origin's education foundation.
Nearly 6,000 people from 143 countries have taken part in the auction.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
