Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, took a tumble onto the Texas desert as he rushed to welcome his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, and the all-female crew upon their return to Earth on Monday morning.
The historic launch was livestreamed, capturing the moment when Bezos, aged 61, fell face-first while approaching the capsule that held his fiancée. After the 11-minute flight, he opened the capsule door to greet Sanchez.
Following their celebration, Sanchez quickly embraced her family members who were present at the landing site. With tears in her eyes, she expressed her emotions, saying, “I can’t put it into words. We got to see the Moon! The Earth looked so quiet… I don’t think you could describe it.” Bezos, who participated in Blue Origin’s inaugural space tourism mission, shared with Sanchez that the experience would be transformative and was excited for her to share in it.
Sanchez was part of a crew of six women, which included pop star Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, civil rights advocate Amanda Nguyen, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. The group traveled approximately 62 miles above Earth, just beyond the Karman Line that marks the boundary of outer space, where they glimpsed the vastness of space, the Moon, and the blue planet below.
This mission represents the first all-female spaceflight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo journey in 1963. Additionally, it marks the 11th human flight for Blue Origin’s New Shepard program.
Jared Isaacman, a fellow billionaire and President Trump’s nominee to lead NASA, praised the successful launch on X, stating, “Congratulations to Blue Origin and the NS-31 crew. Opening this incredible frontier—from the few to the many—is the dream.”
While Blue Origin does not publicly reveal the complete cost of its spaceflights, it is known that a seat on the inaugural crewed flight was auctioned for $28 million.
