Jeff Bezos is a billionaire. The 57-year-old is considered the richest person in the world. He works hard as a businessman. Mr. Bezos founded the online company Amazon in his garage. Today, Amazon is extraordinarily successful. Mr. Bezos has announced that he will be taking an extraordinary vacation. Where’s he headed? To space.  

Mr. Bezos will be aboard for Blue Origin’s first human space flight. In an Instagram post, the businessman announced that he’s scheduled to launch on July 20. His brother and the winner of an ongoing auction will be flying to space with Mr. Bezos on the New Shepard spacecraft.

The auction is still open. Currently, the highest bid is $3,500,000 for the remaining seat. The auction concludes on June 12. Almost 6,000 people have bid. They come from 143 countries! The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation. It is called “Club for the Future.” The foundation’s mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

July 20 is an important day in history. It is the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969. Apollo 11 was the first spaceflight that put humans on the Moon.

Back in February, Mr. Bezos announced that he was stepping down as the leader of Amazon. He wants to spend more time on other things. That includes Blue Origin and other new ideas. Blue Origin is an aerospace company that is developing rockets for commercial (business) use. According to the Blue Origin website, the company was founded by Mr. Bezos “with the vision of enabling a future where millions of people are living and working in space to benefit Earth.”

“I want to go on this flight because it’s a thing I’ve wanted to do all my life. It’s an adventure. It’s a big deal for me,” says Mr. Bezos.

Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are! —  Job 22:12