'Dad's Going Up In A Rocket!' French Businessman Set For Launch

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th May, 2024) He arrived in Texas, tried on his flight suit for the first time, and is now preparing to live out his childhood dream.

On Sunday, French entrepreneur Sylvain Chiron will board a Blue Origin rocket and blast off into space, joining the select group of humans who have ventured beyond Earth's bounds.

"I never thought I'd get to do this," the 52-year-old, who hails from the mountainous southeastern region of Savoy, told AFP in an interview two days before his adventure.

"We're going to be astronauts for 15 minutes, so a bit like pretend astronauts, but astronauts nonetheless!"

Blue Origin's spaceflights are brief hops just beyond the edge of space and back again -- but still allow passengers to admire the curve of the Earth while free floating during a few minutes of weightlessness.

In all, the Jeff Bezos-owned enterprise has flown 31 humans to space on its New Shepard suborbital rocket system.

Sunday's mission, the first with crew after a two-year pause, will see six people soar beyond the Karman Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, 62 miles (100 kilometers) above sea level.

"This morning, I put on my flight suit for the first time -- my wife found me very handsome as an astronaut," Chiron joked on the phone, as he prepared for a day of training including a flight simulator.