Justin Sun, the founder of Tron, is finally set to embark on his space journey, almost four years after securing a seat on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket for a reported $28 million.
On July 21st, Sun announced via social media that he will be one of six individuals participating in Blue Origin’s upcoming NS-34 mission. This flight represents Blue Origin’s 34th mission overall and its 14th launch with humans onboard.
Joining Sun on this exciting suborbital adventure are real estate professional Arvi Bahal, Turkish businessman Gökhan Erdem, Puerto Rican weather forecaster Deborah Martorell, the director of an orphanage, Lionel Pitchford, and veteran entrepreneur J.D. Russell.
Blue Origin has not yet specified the exact launch date but has indicated that a live stream will commence half an hour before the scheduled lift-off.
Sun, who had previously booked a spot on the initial flight back in 2021 but did not ultimately fly, joked about being “the youngest Chinese commercial astronaut.”
While he didn’t take the flight at the time, his $28 million payment was donated to Blue Origin’s non-profit organization, Club for the Future.
These funds were then allocated among 19 different non-profit organizations focused on space, with each receiving $1 million to foster youth involvement in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) fields.
Since its inaugural human spaceflight, Blue Origin has successfully transported 70 individuals past the Kármán line – the internationally recognized boundary of outer space.
Justin Sun: A Prominent Figure
A well-known, and sometimes controversial, figure within the cryptocurrency world, Justin Sun is recognized for his ambitious ventures and attention-grabbing investments.
In the previous year, it came to light that he was a significant backer of World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture linked to the family of US President Donald Trump. Furthermore, he possessed the largest holding of the TRUMP meme coin and was present at a private dinner engagement with the former US president.
Concurrently, his involvement in the evolution of blockchain technology has also led to regulatory oversight.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought charges against him, alleging the offering of unregistered securities related to the Tron initiative. However, this case is currently on hold, as both sides are in discussions regarding a possible resolution.
Moreover, Sun continues to be recognized for his various publicity-generating actions.
Back in 2024, he acquired Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous “Comedian” artwork (a banana affixed to a wall with duct tape) for $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. He later proceeded to consume the banana.