- Blue Origin successfully completed the NS-34 mission as part of the New Shepard program.
- TRON founder Justin Sun was among the crew members on this flight.
- The journey lasted 10 minutes and cost Sun $28 million.
TRON founder Justin Sun took part in Blue Origin's NS-34 mission. He paid $28 million for the 10-minute flight into space.
According to Blue Origin's official statement, this was the 34th launch of the New Shepard program and the 14th manned flight. Alongside Sun, the crew included:
JD Russell, founder of the venture capital firm Alpha Funds;
businessman Gokhan Erdem;
real estate investor Arvi Bahal;
meteorologist Deborah Martorell;
philanthropist Lionel Pitchford.
The mission lifted off from West Texas at 7:43 a.m. CT. Three minutes later, the capsule separated, putting the crew in zero gravity. At 7:53 a.m., Blue Origin confirmed a successful landing.
Justin Sun applied for participation in the NS-34 mission back in 2021. He won the auction with a bid of $28 million. At that time, the flight was scheduled for 2022.
After landing, Sun stated:"For this mission we waited four years, but we finally delivered. I really appreciate Mr. Bezos and his team for making this possible. And thank you dad and mom for bringing me into earth. When I look from space, the earth is so small and it’s our home. We need to do whatever we can do to protect it."
What Sun experienced is known as the "overview effect." It refers to a change in a person’s awareness of the planet’s fragility after viewing it from orbit.
Sun noted this was his first, but by no means his last, flight into space.
