{"id":17443,"date":"2021-12-22T23:28:18","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T15:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/crypto-ambassador-says-he-won-blue-origins-28m-auction-and-is-buying-five-more-tickets-to-space\/"},"modified":"2021-12-22T23:28:18","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T15:28:18","slug":"crypto-ambassador-says-he-won-blue-origins-28m-auction-and-is-buying-five-more-tickets-to-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/crypto-ambassador-says-he-won-blue-origins-28m-auction-and-is-buying-five-more-tickets-to-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Crypto ambassador says he won Blue Origin\u2019s $28M auction and is buying five more tickets to space"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/211222-sun-630x374.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-663796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/211222-sun-630x374.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/211222-sun-1260x747.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/211222-sun-768x455.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/211222-sun.jpg 1373w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering shows crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun in a spacesuit. (Justin Sun via Twitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The winner of June\u2019s $28 million auction for a seat on Blue Origin\u2019s suborbital spaceship revealed himself today \u2014 and is buying tickets for five more people to fly with him a year from now.<\/p>\n<p>It would be hard to come up with a quirkier r\u00e9sum\u00e9 than the one put together by Justin Sun, the 31-year-old crypto pioneer who put in the winning bid.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s a Chinese-born entrepreneur who founded the Tron cryptocurrency platform and serves as the CEO of Rainberry Inc., the file-sharing company formerly known as BitTorrent Inc.<\/p>\n<p>Sun, a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, recently became a citizen of the Caribbean island nation of Grenada. Last week he was named Grenada\u2019s ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva.<\/p>\n<p>Although his net worth is currently estimated at a mere $200 million, he\u2019s no stranger to high-stakes bidding. In 2019, he bid $4.6 million just to have lunch with billionaire Warren Buffett.<\/p>\n<p>Sun said he was drawn to Blue Origin\u2019s vision of sharing the spaceflight experience with the wider public.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the rapid development of commercial aerospace, entering space may become a dream that every person can realize in his or her lifetime. We are entering the era of great spaceflight. This great journey requires more people to get involved,\u201d Sun said in a news release.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed in particular to the Club for the Future, Blue Origin\u2019s nonprofit educational foundation, which is distributing millions of dollars in proceeds from Sun\u2019s bid to 19 space-related charities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe initiative of Blue Origin to take more people to space to see Earth as our singular common home is extraordinary,\u201d Sun said. \u201cClub for the Future offers a way to use that experience to inspire youth around the world to dream and act on their dreams of science, technology, and space exploration. I felt compelled to help further that vision through my bid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin says Sun is due to fly sometime during the fourth quarter of 2022.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1473641965979897862&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2021%2Fcrypto-ambassador-says-he-won-blue-origins-28m-auction-and-is-buying-five-more-tickets-to-space%2F&amp;sessionId=13ad8a865810fb99a29a332991a25d370f973f7a&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1473641965979897862\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782799989988117767=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">(1\/12)6 months ago, I was lucky enough to win the auction of Blue Origin\u2019s first launch! Today, I announce that I\u2019m launching the &#8220;Sea of Stars&#8221; campaign, which will select 5 warriors to explore space with me in 2022! @blueorigin @clubforfuture!  <br \/>Details: https:\/\/t.co\/uoCCwofsjk pic.twitter.com\/gZmPDQ3l5D<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 H.E. Justin Sun \ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\ude80 (Astronaut Version) (@justinsuntron) December 22, 2021<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>At the time of the auction, it was thought that the winning bidder would go on Blue Origin\u2019s first crewed flight in July \u2014 riding alongside Jeff Bezos, who created Blue Origin as a privately held space venture several years after founding Amazon. But Blue Origin said the winner couldn\u2019t make that date due to a scheduling conflict, and would have to fly at a later time.<\/p>\n<p>The nature of the conflict hasn\u2019t been revealed. But just after Blue Origin\u2019s milestone mission, news outlets reported that Sun was participating in a blockchain-related research project at the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s Central Party School.<\/p>\n<p>Sun said he would select five other people to fly with him in Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard suborbital space capsule during next year\u2019s \u201cSea of Stars\u201d mission. The mission would follow New Shepard\u2019s typical flight profile, blasting off from the Kent, Wash.-based company\u2019s Launch Site One in West Texas. The six spacefliers would experience a few minutes of weightlessness and get a look at the curving Earth through the capsule\u2019s giant windows, during an up-and-down journey that would last about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Each of Sun\u2019s spaceship companions is to be selected using a tailor-made set of criteria. \u201cIn this coming year, names of the five space warriors will be released sequentially,\u201d Sun tweeted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur first nominee will be a prominent figure in the crypto world who is crazy about cruising in Metaverse. Guess Who?\u201d Sun said.<\/p>\n<p>Other nominees would include a member of the Tron crypto community, a tech entrepreneur, and an \u201cartist who has the wildest dreams of space and the future of humankind,\u201d Sun said. Details on the nomination process will be announced in the coming months.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Blue Origin told GeekWire in an email that Sun is paying the fares for his five crewmates, separately from the $28 million he bid for his own seat. \u201cWe do not disclose the purchase price of the tickets,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A digital rendering shows crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun in a spacesuit. (Justin Sun via Twitter) The winner of June\u2019s $28 million auction for a seat on Blue Origin\u2019s suborbital spaceship revealed himself today \u2014 and is buying tickets for five more people to fly with him a year from now. It would be hard to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[509,4430,1250,4402],"class_list":["post-17443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-blue-origin","tag-justin-sun","tag-new-shepard","tag-suborbital-spaceflight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17443"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17443\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}