Amazon founder Jeff Bezos built a retail empire on Earth, but his heart and mind have long trended toward the stars. He’s set to go along for the ride for the first Blue Origin crewed mission, which is targeting July 20 as its launch date.

Bezos is locked in a billionaires’ race to space with Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson. Branson is scheduled to head to suborbital space on July 11. If it goes as planned, he will edge out Bezos.

This is a look at Blue Origin’s gear and test flights as Bezos prepares to become a wealthy astronaut.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos will head to space in a crew capsule escorted off the ground by a New Shepard rocket. The rocket system — named for Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space — has successfully completed a series of test launches. The July launch will be the first with humans on board.

One of the Blue Origin crew capsule’s first occupants was a human-like dummy named Mannequin Skywalker. The mannequin took a ride with New Shepard in April 2021. The successful test flight set the stage for founder Jeff Bezos and crew to take to the skies with a July 20 launch.

Blue Origin’s human-shaped stand-in, Mannequin Skywalker, took to suborbital space during a New Shepard test flight in 2021. It would have enjoyed the views if it was alive.

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, famous for his Amazon-fueled billions, inspected a booster on the landing pad after a successful test flight. The New Shepard rocket boosters are reusable.

As with SpaceX, Blue Origin has developed a reusable rocket booster to help keep costs down for launches. The system is designed to deliver payloads to space and send space tourists off on an 11-minute ride of a lifetime.

This is the view from above as a New Shepard rocket booster comes back down for a landing after doing its job.

A New Shepard unmanned crew capsule descends from the skies during a test. The parachutes are designed to give it a gentle landing back on Earth.

Jeff Bezos won’t be content with just trucking around in suborbital space. He has a grand vision for an eventual space colony, complete with off-world habitats designed as parks.

Will Jeff Bezos want to go to the moon one day? The Blue Origin Integrated Lander Vehicle was one of three moon landers in development for NASA. NASA selected a SpaceX moon lander for its Artemis program, but Blue Origin could potentially compete for future NASA contracts.

Long before humans can get on board a new spacecraft, there need to be a lot of tests. New Shepard blasted off on its maiden flight from Blue Origin’s launch site in west Texas in 2015. It has since successfully completed a series of uncrewed flights and safety tests, and it’s now ready to carry passengers to suborbital space.

Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos won’t be traveling alone when he gets off this rock on July 20. The crew will include his brother Mark Bezos and 82-year-old pilot and aeronautics pioneer Wally Funk, who has never flown to space. This screenshot comes from when Bezos told Funk about the plans to visit suborbital space.

Blue Origin released this vintage photo when it announced pioneering aviator Wally Funk would travel with Jeff Bezos to space. Funk and the Bezos brothers will be joined by the winner of an auction for a seat on New Shepard. The high bid came in at $28 million (GBP19.8 million, AU $36.3 million). The name of the winner has not yet been announced.

The New Shepard capsule features a stylish interior design with comfortable seats aimed at making the trip to space a cozy experience.

The Blue Origin New Shepard crew capsule holds up to six passengers and has large windows to give wide views of Earth during flight.

While New Shepard is handling suborbital flights, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket will aim to go higher, sending payloads and eventually people into orbit. This is an illustration of what it might look like. Will Bezos be on board one day? It could happen. But first he’ll take a trip to suborbital space, even if he gets there after Richard Branson does.

in 2019, Jeff Bezos showed off what Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lunar lander would look like. The lander is designed to touch down on the moon’s surface, delivering cargo or astronauts. The lander’s future is uncertain at this time as NASA moves forward with its Artemis program to return humans to the moon.