Jeff Bezos readies his rocket for first crewed launch

Space tourists set to blast off in New Glenn rocket<br><br>The billionaire boss of space company Blue Origin is due to send his first space tourists into orbit today in the maiden crewed flight of the New Glenn rocket. Bezos, who made his fortune with Amazon, had originally planned to man the rocket himself but instead gave the honour to 19-year-old Oliver Daemen, the son of a Dutch financier. The young Dutchman is to be joined by Wally Funk, an 82-year-old former pilot and astronaut trainer. Daemen and Funk are the only two people to have paid for seats in the six-person capsule on the rocket although Bezos has said that he will take control of the flight himself in the final minutes before launch.