William Shatner confirms Jeff Bezos is sending him into space
William Shatner will go into space on Jeff Bezos' next Blue Origin trip.
On Monday, the Star Trek lead revealed that he has accepted an invitation from the Amazon founder for a complimentary trip into space. The 90-year-old actor will join three others for the sub-orbital journey, making him the oldest person to travel to space.
"Yes, it's true; I'm going to be a 'rocket man!'" Shatner tweeted on Monday, later adding: "It's never too late to experience new things."
The flight, set to take off on 12 October, will last 10 minutes and reach no higher than 106 kilometres. After reaching maximum height, the capsule will parachute back to Earth and land near the original take-off point in West Texas.
"I've heard about space for a long time now," the actor said in a statement released via Blue Origin, Bezos' space travel company. "I'm taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle."
Bezos has spoken in the past about his love for the Star Trek franchise, where Shatner played his career-defining role as Captain Kirk. The billionaire even had a cameo in 2016's Star Trek Beyond, playing a high-ranking alien.
