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Tourism: Amazon magnate, Bezos ready to ride his own rocket to space
Published
5 years agoon
By
Mega IconThe wealthiest man on the planet Jeff Bezos will ride his own rocket to outer space on Tuesday, a key moment for a fledgling industry seeking to make the final frontier accessible to elite tourists.
Blue Origin has planned its first crewed mission, an 11-minute hop from west Texas to beyond the Karman line and back again, to coincide with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing.
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson made the voyage on July 11, narrowly beating the Amazon magnate in their battle of the billionaires.
But Bezos, like Branson, insists it wasn’t a contest.
“There’s one person who was the first person in space — his name was Yuri Gagarin — and that happened a long time ago,” he told the TODAY show on NBC on Monday, referencing the Soviet cosmonaut’s 1961 milestone.
“This isn’t a competition, this is about building a road to space so that future generations can do incredible things in space,” he added.
Blue Origin’s sights are also set higher: both in the altitude to which its reusable New Shepard craft will ascend compared to Virgin’s spaceplane, but also in its ambitions.
Bezos, 57, founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the goal of one day building floating space colonies with artificial gravity where millions of people will work and live.
Today, the company is developing a heavy-lift orbital rocket called New Glenn and also a Moon lander it is hoping to contract to NASA.
New Shepard has flown 15 uncrewed flights to put it through its paces and test safety mechanisms, like firing the capsule away from the launchpad if the rocket explodes, or landing it with one less parachute.
“We learned how to make a vehicle safe enough that we’d be willing to put our own loved ones on it, and send them to space,” Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith said at a briefing on Sunday.
Lift-off is at 8:00 am Central Time (1300 GMT) from a remote facility in the west Texas desert called Launch Site One, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the nearest town, Van Horn.
Weather conditions currently appear favorable and the event will be live streamed on BlueOrigin.com, starting 90 minutes before launch.
VAN HORN, TEXAS – JULY 19: David Morales stands near a mural on the side of his building he had painted to honor Jeff Bezos as the billionaire plans to launch his Blue Origin rocket from a launchpad in West Texas on July 19, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas. Mr. Bezos is scheduled to lift off from the launch pad at 8 am local time on Tuesday in the Blue Origins suborbital New Shepard rocket in the first human spaceflight for his company. Mr. Bezos is to be joined by his brother Mark Bezos, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk. Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
– Richest, oldest, youngest –
Joining Bezos will be barrier-breaking female aviator Wally Funk, who at 82 is set to be the oldest ever astronaut, and 18-year-old Dutchman Oliver Daemen, who will become the youngest.
Rounding out the quartet is Jeff Bezos’ younger brother and best friend Mark, who directs the Bezos Family Foundation and works as a volunteer firefighter.
Notably absent is the still anonymous winner of a $28 million auction for a seat, who had “scheduling conflicts” and will take part in a future flight.
Daemen’s father, the CEO of a private equity firm, was a runner-up in the bidding, allowing his teenage son to become the company’s first paying customer.
After lift-off, New Shepard will careen towards space at speeds exceeding 2,300 mph (3700 kph) using a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine whose only byproduct is water vapor.
The capsule separates from its booster, and when it gets high enough, the astronauts unbuckle and experience weightlessness for three to four minutes.
The spacecraft peaks at 65 miles altitude (106 kilometers), allowing the crew members to admire the curvature of the planet, and the inky black of the rest of the universe.
The booster returns autonomously to a landing pad just north of its launch site, while the capsule freefalls back to Earth with three giant parachutes, and finally a thruster, for a gentle landing in the desert.
Funk, who excelled in the Mercury 13 project meant to train women for space, but was denied the opportunity to go because of the sexism of the early space-era, said she planned to make the most of the opportunity.
She told NBC she was looking forward to floating, turning and rolling in near-zero gravity.
– ‘Read the room’ –
Blue Origin has remained relatively coy about what comes next.
The company says it plans two more flights this year, then “many more” next year.
Analysts say much will hinge on early successes and building a solid safety record.
Smith, the CEO, revealed Sunday that the next launch could take place in September or October, adding “willingness to pay continues to be quite high.”
At the same time, the sector is beginning to face criticism over the optics of super wealthy individuals blasting off to space while Earth faces climate-driven disasters and a coronavirus pandemic.
“Could there be a worse time for two uber-rich rocket owners to take a quick jaunt toward the dark?” wrote Shannon Stirone in an Atlantic piece titled “Space Billionaires, Please Read the Room.”
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Politics
APC Secretariat Violence: Oyo Lawmaker Denies Assault, Alleges Smear Campaign
Published
20 hours agoon
April 21, 2026By
Mega IconThe lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency of Oyo State, Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of violence at the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat, describing claims that he assaulted a party member as false and politically motivated.
An online platform, IMPARTNEWSNETWORK, had alleged that Akinmoyede assaulted one Gafar Oyebade during a meeting convened by the state chairman of the party, Alake Adeyemo, to resolve issues surrounding the executive list of the APC in Lagelu Local Government Area.
However, Akinmoyede, in a statement on Tuesday, said the meeting was peaceful and attended by key members of the state executive, including the chairman, deputy chairman, and secretary, who witnessed the proceedings.
He clarified that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the state leadership recognised him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to the lawmaker, following the clarification, the state executive directed the Lagelu Local Government chairman, Fatai Awoyoola, to proceed with the swearing-in of other party officials.
Akinmoyede also faulted attempts to link the incident with the 2019 killing of a former federal lawmaker, noting that a court of competent jurisdiction had already ruled on the matter.
He said, “In Suit No. I/70c/2019, delivered by Justice Mufutau Adegbola on January 23, 2020, all those accused were discharged and acquitted.”
The lawmaker expressed concern over what he described as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, alleging that Oyebade, a public school teacher under the Oyo State Government, should not be involved in partisan politics.
He described the allegation as a “recycled script” aimed at tarnishing his image ahead of political activities, urging constituents to remain calm.
Akinmoyede also called on journalists to verify information before publication and urged security agencies to take action against individuals who file false reports.
“These tactics surface every election cycle. Those behind them should learn to accept the outcomes of political processes. They failed before and will fail again. Power comes from God,” he added.
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Oyo Reps Member Denies Assault, Dares APC Chieftain to Prove ‘Hospitalisation’ Claim
Published
2 days agoon
April 20, 2026By
Mega IconThe lawmaker representing Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Olafisoye Akinmoyede, has denied allegations of assault levelled against him by a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagelu Local Government Area, Mr. Gafar Oyebade.
Akinmoyede described the allegation as “false” and “a lie taken too far,” insisting that no physical altercation occurred.
The denial was contained in a statement issued on Monday by his Legislative Aide, Dr. Isiaq Akintunde.
Oyebade had alleged that he was hospitalised following a confrontation during a meeting held at the office of the state party chairman in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, convened to resolve a leadership dispute in the local government.
But the federal lawmaker maintained that the meeting was peaceful and attended by top party officials.
“The meeting was convened to clarify Mr. Oyebade’s position within the local executive, and it was attended by the State Party Chairman, his deputy, the secretary, the publicity secretary, and other key state executives, all of whom witnessed the peaceful proceedings,” the statement read.
He added that contrary to Oyebade’s claim of being the party secretary, the official list presented by the Lagelu Local Government Party Chairman, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, identified him as the Public Relations Officer.
According to Akinmoyede, the state executive thereafter directed Awoyoola to proceed with the swearing-in of the remaining members of the local government executive.
The lawmaker accused Oyebade of fabricating the allegation to advance political interests.
“I wonder why Mr. Gafar Oyebade, a secondary school teacher, would claim he was assaulted in the presence of the State Executive. This is an attempt to justify money allegedly collected from an aspirant to tarnish my image,” he said.
Akinmoyede further claimed that Oyebade was seen walking freely after the meeting and was not hospitalised as alleged.
He also raised concerns over Oyebade’s involvement in partisan politics, noting that civil servants are restricted from active participation in political activities.
The lawmaker called on security agencies and the media to investigate the incident at the party’s Oke-Ado office to ascertain the veracity of the claims.
Efforts to reach Oyebade for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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2027: Oseni kicks off Oyo South Senate bid, rallies support for one million Tinubu votes
Published
2 days agoon
April 20, 2026By
Mega IconThe lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Aderemi Oseni, has declared his intention to contest the Oyo South Senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.
Oseni made his aspiration known during a high-level meeting with the Ibarapa APC Elders’ and Leaders’ Forum, comprising the G9 and the expanded G64 caucus, held at the party secretariat in Eruwa, Ibarapa East Local Government Area, over the weekend.
The G9 and G64 groups consist of influential stakeholders drawn from Ibarapa East, Ibarapa Central, and Ibarapa North local government areas.
In a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker expressed appreciation to the forum for their support and confidence in his leadership and vision.
He said his ambition to represent Oyo South Senatorial District was anchored on a determination to consolidate and expand his record of performance.
Oseni said, “This aspiration is not built on mere rhetoric, but on the continuity and expansion of a proven track record of quality representation and grassroots-oriented governance.”
While soliciting the support of party leaders, he described his ambition as a divine call to serve the people with renewed dedication.
According to him, “This is not a time for self-glory but a sacred responsibility to intensify efforts towards real development, bring more relief to our people and ensure inclusive governance.”
He pledged not to betray the trust reposed in him by party elders and faithful, stressing that his aspiration is rooted in progressive ideals and a genuine commitment to the development of the district.
Oseni also urged leaders in the zone to mobilise support towards delivering one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
Speaking at the meeting, a leader from Ibarapa East, Chief Michael Morawo, lauded the lawmaker for delivering democratic dividends and strengthening the party structure. He added that Oseni has demonstrated commendable leadership through his performance, noting that his impact in stabilising the party within the constituency is evident.
Similarly, a former council chairman in Ibarapa Central, Chief Theophilus Adenrele, commended the lawmaker for not betraying the trust reposed in him. Also, a chieftain from Ibarapa North, Chief Francis Babalola, described Oseni as a humble leader committed to progressive ideals, dismissing speculations about his possible defection if he does not secure the governorship ticket.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the forum, Chief Timothy Jolaoso, said the lawmaker enjoys widespread grassroots acceptance that cuts across political divides.
Jolaoso said, “All indicators consistently point to Oseni as a candidate with acceptance that transcends party lines. He is not only capable but a man of deep faith with proven empathy for the downtrodden.”
He added, “He possesses the goodwill, financial strength, and public trust required for leadership.”
The elder statesman further noted that Oseni’s performance in the House of Representatives, alongside his role as Chairman of the FERMA Committee, underscores his competence and commitment to development.
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