If you’ve ever wanted to take a quick jaunt out into space — or perhaps work at an Amazon warehouse in a galaxy far, far away — you’ll be pleased to know we’re inching closer and closer to those realities. On July 20, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and three crewmates are scheduled to test the Blue Origin’s New Shepard Spacecraft in a short ten-minute flight 62 miles above the Earth, with three of those minutes leaving passengers completely weightless as they take in views through the largest windows ever built on a spacecraft. This marks the first manned test for the spacecraft following 15 successful unpiloted test flights, as well as a giant leap for commercial space travel.
In addition to Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, aviator Wally Funk (who at age 82 will be the oldest person to fly in space), and an 18-year-old Dutch student named Oliver Daemen (the first paying passenger and youngest to launch into space) are joining the expedition. According to Bezos in a CBS interview with Gayle King, he and the team are prepared, excited, and, somehow, not even the slightest bit nervous.
“People keep asking if I’m nervous. I’m not really nervous. I’m excited. I’m curious. I want to know what we’re going to learn. We’ve been training. This vehicle is ready. This crew is ready. This team is amazing. We just feel really good about it.”
The New Shepard will be launching out of Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site at 9 AM EDT. Coverage begins at 8:53 AM EDT on local CBS television stations, though you can also watch the historic event on the station’s official live stream as well.