Justin Sun, the founder of TRON, is preparing to launch into space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket on the NS-34 mission. This follows his winning bid of $28 million in a charity auction held by Blue Origin in June 2021. The proceeds from Sun's bid were donated to Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future, which then distributed $1 million grants to 19 space-focused nonprofits.

The NS-34 mission will carry six passengers, including Sun, on a suborbital flight. The other crew members are Arvi Bahal, Gökhan Erdem, Deborah Martorell, Lionel Pitchford, and James Russell. The New Shepard rocket is a reusable launch vehicle designed for brief spaceflights that cross the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space at 100 kilometers above Earth. The entire flight will last approximately 10 minutes, during which passengers will experience several minutes of weightlessness before the capsule returns to Earth using parachutes.

While the exact launch date for the NS-34 mission is yet to be announced, anticipation is building. Once launched, Sun will be the second person from the crypto industry to travel to space, and the first to do so aboard Blue Origin. Chun Wang, co-founder of a major Bitcoin mining pool, was the first crypto entrepreneur to fly to space on a SpaceX orbital mission earlier this year.

Sun has expressed his enthusiasm for the mission and his commitment to inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and space. "Proud to join Blue Origin's NS-34 mission and continue encouraging youth to pursue their dreams in science and space!" he stated in a post on X.

This space venture is the latest in a string of high-profile activities involving Justin Sun. He is known for his investments in the crypto space, including being a top holder of the Original Trump memecoin and his commitment to purchasing $100 million worth of President Donald Trump's memecoin. He also invested $75 million in World Liberty Financial, which is linked to Trump. In November, Sun acquired Maurizio Cattelan's infamous duct-taped banana artwork for $6.24 million.

Blue Origin's New Shepard program has been operating since 2021 and has so far transported 70 people beyond the Kármán line. The NS-34 mission marks the 14th human flight for the program and the 34th overall. A livestream of the NS-34 launch will be available on Blue Origin's website.