Auction bidding is already at $2.8 million with nearly 6,000 participants from 143 countries.

Bidding is underway now at BlueOrigin.com and concludes with a live online auction on June 12th. Anyone interested in bidding in the live auction must register by June 10th. Registration details can be found at BlueOrigin.com.

The winning bidder will fly to space on New Shepard’s first human flight on July 20th.

Here’s a link to Jeff Bezos’s Instagram post regarding the announcement today.

The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, whose mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and to help invent the future of life in space.

—Gradatim Ferociter