Key Takeaways
- In 2021, Justin Sun paid $28 million to be Blue Origin’s first commercial passenger.
- However, scheduling conflicts delayed his trip.
- On Aug. 3, Sun finally completed his mission.
Justin Sun has completed his trip to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.
Sun landed back down on Earth on Sunday, Aug. 3, roughly four years after he first bid $28 million for the privilege.
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Sun’s $28 Million Bid for Spaceflight
In 2021, Sun placed a $28 million bid in a charity auction to secure a seat on Blue Origin’s inaugural crewed New Shepard flight.
That mission, NS‑16, was set to launch on July 20, 2021. However, the Tron founder postponed due to scheduling conflicts, delaying his trip until 2025.
New Shepard’s 14th Human Spaceflight
Blue Origin’s New Shepard is a fully reusable suborbital launch vehicle, designed for space tourism. It consists of a booster and a capsule that accommodates up to six passengers, reaching altitudes above the Kármán line for a few minutes of weightlessness before returning with parachutes and soft-landing systems.
The first crewed flight, NS‑16, launched on July 20, 2021, carrying Jeff Bezos, Wally Funk, Mark Bezos, and Oliver Daemen. It marked Blue Origin’s official entry into commercial human spaceflight.
How Much Does a Trip to Space Cost?
Exact ticket pricing on Blue Origin flights remains opaque.
Sun’s $28 million was likely an outlier driven by exclusivity and demand. These days, industry estimates suggest it may still cost more than $1 million per passenger, however.
A form on the company’s website doesn’t list prices, but it states that a fully refundable deposit of $150,000 is required to begin the order process. A disclaimer notes that submitting the form “does not guarantee you a seat on a future New Shepard flight.”
Many of the company’s more high-profile passengers are known to have flown for free. For example, William Shatner was invited as a guest by Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
Rival space tourism firm Virgin Galactic is believed to offer a cheaper alternative. However, its vehicles do not fly as high. (Around 88km versus over 100km.)
The spaceflight program is expected to relaunch in 2026 after a several-year hiatus, with seats expected to cost “$600,000 or higher,” a company official said.
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James Morales is CCN’s blockchain and crypto policy reporter. He has been working in the news media since 2020, writing about topics such as payments, banking and financial technology. These days, he likes to explore the latest blockchain innovations and the evolving landscape of global crypto regulation.
With an educational background in social anthropology and media studies, James uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.
