![]() To set humanity on this environmentally sustainable path, Bezos has lavished funding on Blue Origin, investing about $10 billion in the spaceflight company so far, with more coming every year. While Tuesday’s flight was clearly self-serving for Bezos, Blue Origin has follow-on projects in the works to support moving heavy industry from the surface of our planet into space. What the legion critics of Bezos and Blue Origin miss is that the company legitimately has the goal of ultimately saving planet Earth. The real question is whether Bezos will make good on his stated intent to use his immense wealth for the good of humanity. It is reasonable to both be uncomfortable with Bezos' extreme wealth and what that means for society but also recognize that Blue Origin has advanced spaceflight. Meanwhile, within the space community, people mostly celebrated Bezos’ flight as the dawn of the private spaceflight era, which further opens the high frontier, with both Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic starting regular spaceflight service. Criticism of Bezos spanned the ideological divide, from Tucker Carlson on Fox News to liberal Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. ![]() And with all of his wealth, Bezos offered an inviting target for those who loathe ultra-rich billionaires and want them to pay their fair share of taxes. Environmentalists despaired that as the world burns from climate change and other calamities, Bezos responded by jetting into space. These critics expressed frustration with Bezos for busting unions and not treating Amazon employees well. Some people even wished Bezos had launched and never come back. With his brief 10-minute flight, Bezos provoked sharply divided reactions. Not everyone was thrilled by the adventures of the richest person in the world. ![]() ![]() “My expectations were high, and they were dramatically exceeded.” “Best day ever,” said Bezos, 57, after landing safely beneath three parachutes. Further Reading Here’s why Richard Branson’s flight matters-and, yes, it really matters ![]()
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