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Blue Origin picks 18-year-old to fly to space with Bezos

Blue Origin Bezos
AP
FILE - This undated image provided by Blue Origin shows an illustration of the capsule that will be used to take tourists into space. Blue Origin announced Thursday, July 15, 2021, that instead of an auction winner launching with founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday, Oliver Daemen, 18, will be on board. The company said he'll be the first paying customer, but did not disclose the cost of his ticket. (Blue Origin via AP)
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The youngest person to fly to space is an 18-year-old from the Netherlands.

Blue Origin announced on Thursday that Oliver Daemen is set to take off with Jeff Bezos on July 20 on the Shepard Rocket, instead of an auction winner who paid $28 million.

The space company said the mysterious auction winner would go on a future flight after postponing due to a scheduling conflict.

Last year, Daemen, who graduated from high school, took a gap year to obtain his private pilot's license.

Blue Origin Bezos
This undated photo provided by his family in July 2021 shows Oliver Daemen. The 18-year-old is about to become the youngest person in space, rocketing away with an aviation pioneer who will become the oldest at age 82. Blue Origin announced Thursday that instead of an auction winner launching with founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday, Oliver Daemen will be on board. The company said he'll be the first paying customer, but did not disclose the cost of his ticket.

In September, Daemen will attend the University of Utrecht to study physics and innovation management.

Set to join Daemen in space is aviation pioneer Wally Funk, who'll be the oldest person in space at age 82.

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