Tom Hanks Turns Down Jeff Bezos’ Offer to Join Blue Origin Space Tourism Flight

Jeff Bezos, a long-time space enthusiast and founder of Blue Origin, seems to be doing well as his lifelong ambition of space tourism flights picks up. However, not everyone is willing to pay millions of dollars for a short trip to the edge of space. Tom Hanks recently revealed during a Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, on 2nd November, that he had been offered a seat onboard the New Shepard carrier but chose to refuse it. And here is why.

Tom Hanks’ Comment on Jeff Bezos’ Offer

According to Tom Hanks, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos approached him with an offer to join one of the space tourism flights – provided, Hanks pays. The actor states that he is doing well but is not going to pay around $28 million for a short trip to space. Hanks says that it is possible to simulate the going to space experience anytime, and he does not need to pay $28 million to do that.

Blue Origin Current Space Tourism Progress & Further Plans

Despite Tom Hanks’ joking criticism of the space tourism fare cost, Blue Origin has not officially announced the price for its New Shepard tickets. It is true that the seat on the first inaugural flight sold at $28 million during an open online auction. However, one can assume that further flights will have a lower price tag. Besides, the auction winner had a conflicting schedule, so he could not join the first Blue Origin flight in July, which is why the second-largest bidder went in his place.

The next Blue Origin flight took place on 13th October, carrying Star Trek star, William Shatner, onboard. Shatner flew on this flight for free, as a courtesy of Jeff Bezos. The next crewed space tourism flight from Blue Origin is planned before the end of the year, with several more flights to follow in 2022.