{"id":17101,"date":"2025-08-03T19:17:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T11:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/crypto-billionaire-takes-his-28m-space-trip-with-five-others-on-blue-origins-rocket-ship\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T19:17:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T11:17:42","slug":"crypto-billionaire-takes-his-28m-space-trip-with-five-others-on-blue-origins-rocket-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/crypto-billionaire-takes-his-28m-space-trip-with-five-others-on-blue-origins-rocket-ship\/","title":{"rendered":"Crypto billionaire takes his $28M space trip with five others on Blue Origin\u2019s rocket ship"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard rocket ship rises from its West Texas launch pad. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Controversial crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun finally got his suborbital ride into space today from Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture, four years after he put in the winning $28 million bid for a seat.<\/p>\n

Five other spacefliers were alongside Sun when Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard rocket ship rose from its launch pad at the company\u2019s Launch Site One in West Texas at 7:42 a.m. CT (5:42 a.m. PT) for a 10-minute trip.<\/p>\n

When Sun emerged from the crew capsule after the flight, he made a thumbs-up gesture, then stepped down to kiss the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wished to go into space since I was a child, and after almost 30 years, it\u2019s come true,\u201d Sun said on Blue Origin\u2019s webcast. \u201cFor this mission I waited four years, but we finally delivered it. I really appreciate Mr. Bezos and his team to make it possible. \u2026 This is my first commitment and step to space, and we will have more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sun is the founder of a blockchain venture called Tron and an adviser to HTX, one of the world\u2019s largest crypto exchanges. When the 35-year-old, Chinese-born billionaire won Blue Origin\u2019s space auction in 2021, it was meant to guarantee him a spot on New Shepard\u2019s first crewed flight that summer. Instead, Sun put his reservation on hold, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts.<\/p>\n

While Sun was waiting for his flight, legal complications arose: In 2023, he became the subject of a federal investigation over alleged market manipulation and unregistered sales of crypto asset securities. But that case was put on hold in February, and a couple of months later, Sun earned a place of prominence at a crypto dinner with President Donald Trump by purchasing the biggest share of the $TRUMP meme coin. <\/p>\n

Last month, Tron Inc. became a publicly listed company on Nasdaq.<\/p>\n

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Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun flashes thumbs-up signs as he emerges from Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard crew capsule. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today\u2019s mission, known as NS-34, marked the 34th flight and 14th crewed flight for Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard suborbital space program. This flight followed the standard profile for crewed missions: The autonomously controlled, reusable rocket ship\u2019s hydrogen-fueled booster sent the crew capsule to an altitude of nearly 66 miles (106 kilometers), just above the 100-kilometer Karman Line that marks the internationally accepted boundary of outer space.<\/p>\n

At that height, the NS-34 crew members experienced a few minutes of zero gravity and got an astronaut\u2019s-eye view of Earth beneath the black sky of space. Then, at the end of the ride, they made a parachute-assisted touchdown not far from their launch pad.<\/p>\n

Sun\u2019s five crewmates for NS-34 reflected varied backgrounds. Here\u2019s the list:<\/p>\n

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  • Arvinder (Arvi) Singh Bahal<\/strong> is a real-estate investor and adventurer who was born in Agra, India, and is now a naturalized U.S. citizen.<\/li>\n
  • G\u00f6khan Erdem<\/strong> is a Turkish business executive and a board member of Erdem Holding, a diverse group of companies operating in the energy, telecommunications, construction and manufacturing sectors.<\/li>\n
  • Deborah Martorell<\/strong> is a Puerto Rican meteorologist and journalist. Her reporting on environmental and space topics has garnered eight Emmy Awards and two Awards of Excellence in Science Reporting from the American Meteorological Society. <\/li>\n
  • Lionel Pitchford<\/strong> is an Englishman who has spent the last four decades in Spain working as a teacher, translator and tour guide. He is the founder of a nonprofit in Nepal dedicated to serving disadvantaged children and girls, and has run an orphanage in Katmandu for more than 30 years.<\/li>\n
  • James (J.D.) Russell<\/strong> is the founder of Alpha Funds, a technology-focused venture capital company; and Alpha Aerospace, an aerospace consulting and solutions company. He first flew to space on Blue Origin\u2019s NS-28 mission last November.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cIt was an honor to see so many nations represented on our flight today,\u201d Phil Joyce, Blue Origin\u2019s senior vice president for the New Shepard, said in an online recap of today\u2019s mission. \u201cThe view of our fragile planet from space has a unifying effect on all who witness it, and I am always eager to see how our astronauts use this experience for the benefit of Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Blue Origin has now sent 75 people on suborbital space trips, including Russell and four other people who have taken multiple trips. The company doesn\u2019t typically reveal how much its customers are paying for their flights. Sun\u2019s case is the rare exception, due to the fact that the 2021 auction was conducted publicly. <\/p>\n

    Sun\u2019s $28 million fare went to Blue Origin\u2019s nonprofit educational foundation, the Club for the Future. Most of that money was distributed in the form of million-dollar grants to 19 space-focused nonprofits. <\/p>\n

    In addition to the crew, today\u2019s flight carried more than 1,500 digital postcards and 16,000 physical postcards for the Club for the Future\u2019s \u201cPostcards in Space\u201d program, which collects messages from students around the world. Sun set up his own \u201cTo the Sun\u201d program to collect messages \u2014 and carried more than 1,000 of those messages into space on a thumb drive.<\/p>\n

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