Amazon founder Jeff Bezos called spaceflight "the best day of his life," along with three crew members, including his brother Mark.
The billionaire New Shepard rocket landed in the Texas desert after a suborbital flight that lasted 11 minutes, but was enough to set some records for his company, Blue Origin.
Wally Funk, an 82-year-old aviation pioneer who trained as an astronaut in the 1960s, is the oldest man to fly in space. Oliver Daemen, 18, a student from the Netherlands, is the youngest man to pay to enjoy such an experience.
The richest man in the world with an estimated fortune of 206 billion dollars, Bezos, 57, sprayed champagne after the New Shepard rocket capsule successfully landed, after 15 test flights.
Blue Origin video from inside the New Shepard capsule in space:
— Michael Sheetz (@thesheetztweetz) July 20, 2021
Jeff Bezos: “Who wants a Skittle?” pic.twitter.com/SUO6sAYZAE
"It was the best day ever," Bezos said after coming out of the capsule, adding that he felt "very good" and the other attendees were "a very happy team."
The crew capsule carrying Jeff Bezos has successfully landed after travelling into space. https://t.co/enNUiB9jjU pic.twitter.com/k6bixiziKH
— CNN (@CNN) July 20, 2021
However, Bezos is facing criticism for spending money on space, amid concerns about working conditions on Amazon and the planet's problems.
At a post-flight press conference Tuesday, Bezos said the new venture had strengthened its commitment to tackling the climate crisis and is using the New Shepard as a stepping stone to colonizing space for the good of the Earth.
"We will build a path to space so that our children and their children can build the future. This is not about escaping Earth ... This is the only good planet in the system. "Solar and we have to take care of it. When you go into space and see how fragile it is, you want to take care of it even more."
