Jeff Bezos blasts off on journey to edge of space

The Blue Origin founder is the second billionaire to ride his own rocket, achieving the feat just days after Richard Branson flew into space on Virgin Galactic, describing the experience as “more extreme than I’d have ever imagined”.

The side of a building in Van Horn, Texas, is adorned with a mural of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos (Sean Murphy/AP))

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has blasted off on a flight to the edge of space.

The billionaire strapped into Blue Origin’s sub-orbital New Shepard rocket from Texas, on Tuesday, the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.