Crypto Billionaire Cleared for $28M Blue Origin Journey

A New Chapter for Justin Sun

Four years after making a landmark $28 million bid for a suborbital space trip, crypto billionaire Justin Sun is set to join the next mission by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Sun and five other individuals have been listed as participants in Blue Origin’s NS-34 mission, which will be the company's 14th crewed spaceflight. The launch date from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas has yet to be announced.

In a post on the X social-media platform, Sun expressed his pride in joining Blue Origin’s NS-34 mission and emphasized his commitment to encouraging youth to pursue their dreams in science and space. In a follow-up message, he claimed the title of “the youngest Chinese commercial astronaut.”

Sun’s journey to space has not been without challenges. As the founder of the Tron blockchain venture, the 34-year-old has faced various hurdles. Until recently, he was under federal investigation for alleged market manipulation and unregistered sales of crypto asset securities. This case was put on hold in February, and shortly after, Sun gained prominence at a crypto dinner with President Donald Trump by purchasing the largest share of the $TRUMP meme coin.

It remains unclear how these issues have affected the timing of his spaceflight. In 2021, Sun was the winning bidder in an auction for a seat on Blue Origin’s first crewed flight, which was scheduled for that year. However, Blue Origin later stated that the winner — who was initially anonymous — had to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts.

When Sun was revealed as the winning bidder in late 2021, Blue Origin said he would fly in late 2022. At that time, Sun mentioned bringing along five hand-picked “space warriors” for a mission he called “Sea of Stars,” but this part of the plan seems to have been abandoned, along with the original timeline.

Meet the NS-34 Crew Members

The NS-34 crew consists of individuals with diverse backgrounds:

• Arvinder (Arvi) Singh Bahal is a real-estate investor and adventurer born in Agra, India, and now a naturalized U.S. citizen.
• Gökan Erdem is a Turkish business executive and board member of Erdem Holding, a group of companies operating in energy, telecommunications, construction, and manufacturing.
• Deborah Martorell is a Puerto Rican meteorologist and journalist with eight Emmy Awards and two Awards of Excellence in Science Reporting from the American Meteorological Society.
• Lionel Pitchford is an Englishman who has spent the last four decades in Spain as a teacher, translator, and tour guide. He founded a nonprofit in Nepal dedicated to serving disadvantaged children and girls and has run an orphanage in Kathmandu for over 30 years.
• James (J.D.) Russell is the founder of Alpha Funds and Alpha Aerospace. He previously flew to space on Blue Origin’s NS-28 mission last November.

What to Expect on the NS-34 Mission

The NS-34 crew members are next in line to lift off from Launch Site One aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket ship. If all goes according to plan, they will experience zero gravity and enjoy an astronaut’s-eye view of Earth beneath the black sky of space during an autonomously controlled flight lasting about 10 minutes. The mission will conclude with a parachute-assisted touchdown near the launch pad.

Blue Origin typically does not disclose the cost of its flights. However, Sun’s case is an exception because the 2021 auction was public. Blue Origin stated that the $28 million from Sun’s bid went to its nonprofit foundation, the Club for the Future. This foundation selected 19 space-focused nonprofits to receive grants of $1 million each.

Other Controversial Crypto Figures in Space

Sun is not the only controversial crypto figure to take a trip on New Shepard. In February, Blue Origin withheld the identity of one of its spacefliers on the NS-30 mission. Analysis of photos and references in public records suggested the mystery individual was an Australian crypto entrepreneur named Russell Wilson.

We have reached out to Blue Origin for more information on the backgrounds of Sun and Wilson and will update this report with any additional details. We have also asked Blue Origin about its current policy on crypto purchases.