This undated video, which Blue Origin provided on Thursday, July 1, 20,21, shows Mercury 13 astronaut trainee Wally Funk meeting with Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin announced Thursday that the pioneering female in aerospace will fly as an honorary guest aboard its July 20 launch from West Texas. Credit: Blue Origin via APRichard Branson, Virgin Galactic's billionaire, is trying to beat Jeff Bezos by nine days into space.Branson's company said Thursday night that the July 11th test flight would be its next. It also announced that its founder would be joining them. The first crewed crew will be on board the winged rocket ship, which will take off from New Mexico. Virgin Galactic will make this the fourth space trip.This news was just hours after Blue Origin, Bezos’ Blue Origin, announced that Bezos would be joined into space by Blue Origin's female aerospace pioneer on July 20, who had waited 60 years for her chance to launch away.Bezos selected July 20 to launch his West Texas flight. This date marks the 52nd anniversary of Apollo 11's moon landing. The last stretch of a long race for space between two wealthy rocketeers was over a month ago when he assigned himself to the flight.Blue Origin's inaugural launch will see Amazon's founder with people onboard. He will also be accompanied by his brother, who won a $28 million charity sale, and Wally Funk (one of the Mercury 13's last survivors) who was selected as his "honored guests". Although the 13 female pilots passed similar tests to the original Mercury 7 astronauts in the 1960s, they were not allowed to fly into spaceflight because they were women.Virgin Galactic has provided this image. It shows Chief Pilot Dave Mackay and Lead Operations Engineer Colin Bennett. Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses is the founder of Virgin Galactic Richard Branson. Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations Sirisha Ballla and pilot Michael Masucci are also shown. Branson wants to beat Jeff Bezos by nine days in space. Branson's company, announced Thursday, July 1, 2021, that its next test flight would be July 11, and that its founder would be aboard. The first flight of the winged rocket ship with a crew of employees will take place from New Mexico. Virgin Galactic will make this the fourth space trip. Credit: Virgin Galactic via APBranson refused to give a date for when he will ride into space, even though he was still able to do so Wednesday night due to restrictions imposed by his publicly traded company. He stressed that he is "fit and well" to fly once his engineers allow him to."I have always dreamed. My mom taught me to never lose heart and to aim for the stars. He tweeted that it was time to make that dream a reality on the next @VirginGalactic.Virgin Galactic's rocket ship is launched from an aircraft at an altitude of approximately 55 miles (88 km). Blue Origin launches its New Shepard rocket, which is launched from the ground. The capsule can reach a height of 66 miles (106 km). These heights are both considered to be the edge of space. Comparatively, SpaceX's Elon Musk launches both crew and cargo capsules into orbit around Earth.This Monday, October 28, 2019, file photo shows Richard Branson (right), founder of Virgin Galactic and executives taking photos in front of the New York Stock Exchange prior to his company's IPO. Branson announced that he will fly to space in his Virgin Galactic rocketship's next test flight on Thursday, July 1, 2021. July 11th will be the launch window. Credit: AP Photo/Richard Drew. FileEach of the three private space companies plans to launch paying customers into space. SpaceX will be the first to launch a private flight in September.Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin flights last approximately 10 minutes with about three to five minutes of weightlessness. The returns are very different. Virgin Galactic's rocket plane glides onto a runway like NASA's space shuttles. There are two pilots. Blue Origin's automated capsules parachut to the desert floor like NASA's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules. Their spaceports are located just 200 miles (320 km) apart.Funk will be the oldest person to go into space at the age of 82 when Blue Origin launches its turn."I will love every second of it. Hee-hah! Ha-ha. "I can't wait," Funk stated in an Instagram video that Bezos posted.This 1995 file photo shows members of the FLATs (also known as Mercury 13), posing for a photo during a shuttle launch in Florida. Gene Nora Jessen and Wally Funk are from left. Jerri Cobb, Sarah Truhill, Jerri Truhill. Myrtle Cagle, Bernice Steadman, and Jerrie Cobb are also in the photo. Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos chose Funk, a pioneering female in aerospace, to launch into space later this month. Funk will fly as an "honored guest" aboard the July 20th launch from West Texas. Funk and the other Mercury 13 women went through astronaut training in 1960s but didn't make it to space or NASA's astronaut corps. Credit: NASA via APShe said, "Nothing has ever got in my way," They said, "Well, you're just a girl. You can't do it." "They said, "Well, you're a girl, you can't do that." I replied, "Guess what? It doesn't matter who your gender is. It's possible to still do it, if you really want it. I love to do things no one has done before.She will beat John Glenn (who set a record in 1998 when he flew aboard the spaceship Discovery). Glenn dismissed the possibility of women flying into space shortly after becoming the first American to orbit Earth in 1962.Bezos stated via Instagram, "No one has waited more." It's now. Wally, welcome to the crew.Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will step down on Monday.Blue Origin has not yet announced ticket prices nor when the public will be able to get into the six-seat capsule. The New Shepard rocket was named after Alan Shepard who was the first American to go into space.NASA has made this photo of Wally Funk, a Mercury 13 astronaut trainee, available for 2019. It was taken at the Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, Cleveland, Ohio. Blue Origin announced that the pioneering female in aerospace will fly as an honorary guest aboard its July 20 launch from West Texas on Thursday, July 1, 2021. Credit: NASA via APNASA has made this photo of Wally Funk, a Mercury 13 astronaut trainee, available for 2019. It was taken at the Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, Cleveland, Ohio. Blue Origin announced that the pioneering female in aerospace will fly as an honorary guest aboard its July 20 launch from West Texas on Thursday, July 1, 2021. Credit: NASA via APVirgin Galactic currently has over 600 reservations. These tickets were originally purchased for $250,000. After Branson's upcoming flight, the company will accept more passengers. Funk, who was eager to be in space, reserved a seat many years ago.Virgin Galactic will fly three more test flights before accepting customers. Branson was originally supposed to be on the second demonstration, but he moved it up to try to beat Bezos. After his company Virgin Orbit launched several satellites, he said Wednesday that it was important for customers to see Branson ride his rocket ship before they board.Branson mum reveals when Virgin Galactic will launch him to space.2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Without permission, this material may not be broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
