3:16 p.m. ET, July 20, 2021
Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin's rival space company, congratulates crew on successful flight
From CNN's Alyssa Kraus
Blue Origin's New Shepard traveled over 60 miles above Earth in its first crewed trip to space. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, joined by his brother Mark Bezos, pilot Wally Funk and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, experienced about three minutes of weightlessness during the 10-minute flight to space.
Jeff Bezos' trip came only nine days after British billionaire Richard Branson launched into space with the help of his company, Virgin Galactic. The two billionaires have been intertwined in the "
billionaire space race," as both men have worked to develop, test and launch suborbital rockets that can take customers to space.
Although Branson was the first billionaire to reach space on a craft he helped fund on July 11, Bezos is now considered the richest person to launch into space.
Today, Branson's company congratulated Blue Origin on its "successful flight."
"It continues to be a great time for commercial space travel! We are encouraged by seeing more people exploring and conducting research in space, and creating a positive impact here on Earth," Virgin Galactic wrote on Twitter, adding that the two companies will together "open space for good!"
Here's a look at the company's messages: