Mysterious winning bidder of a $28 million seat on a Blue Origin rocket just revealed himself — and plans for his own space campaign
- Tech and crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun said on Twitter he was Blue Origin's $28 million bidder.
- Sun said he plans to fly to space next year with Jeff Bezos' space company and bring five people.
Technology and crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun revealed on Wednesday that he was the winning bidder for Blue Origin's auction for its first space tourism flight.
Sun paid $28 million to fly to space in July with Jeff Bezos, but backed out only a few weeks before the flight "due to scheduling conflicts." At the time, the space venture said the bidder would fly on a future trip and Sun's spot on the six person rocket was taken by 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, the son of the CEO of Somerset Capital Partners. Blue Origin told Insider that Sun's $28 million bid was used toward the company's nonprofit, Club for Future.
On Wednesday, 31-year-old Sun said on Twitter that he plans to go to space with Blue Origin in the fourth quarter of 2022. The founder of TRON, a cryptocurrency platform, said he plans to bring five guests along with him into outer space. Blue Origin confirmed Sun's plans with Insider.
Sun said on Twitter that he will personally select the five individuals as a part of a campaign called Sea of Stars. He said his first nominee will be a leader in the crypto world, as well as the Metaverse. The nominee names will be released gradually in the coming year and include a mix of leaders in his TRON DAO crypto community, leaders in technology, and art, as well as a "highly visible and socially influential celebrity," according to Sun.
"Going to space has been a dream of mine since my childhood, and it is also the future direction of humankind," Sun said on Twitter. "I want to share my joy with everyone in the TRON DAO community and the whole crypto world."
Sun, originally from China, announced last week that he had been appointed the representative for the Caribbean country Grenada to the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
The TRON founder and CEO of Rainberry has been known for his high profile bids in the past. In 2019, he spent $4.6 million on an auction for a lunch with Warren Buffett. Earlier this year, Sun invested $10 million in the GameStop frenzy. He was also one of the top bidders in Beeple's historic $69 million NFT sale, as well as on a nearly $3 million NFT of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's first tweet.