Blue Origin
- Jeff Bezos drove William Shatner and the rest of the crew to the Blue Origin launch site for Wednesday's spaceflight.
- Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in "Star Trek," can be seen in the backseat.
- The flight is Bezos's spaceflight company's second with passengers.
Actor William Shatner and the rest of the Blue Origin flight crew had a special driver to the site of Wednesday's rocket launch.
Blue Origin founder and ex-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos drove the crew in an electric pickup truck from Rivian, an Amazon-backed company, with Bezos decked out in his own spacesuit. Shatner, who played the beloved Captain James T. Kirk in "Star Trek," is seen sitting in the middle of the backseat.
The actor is joined by former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, healthcare entrepreneur Glen de Vries, and Blue Origin vice president of mission and flight operations, Audrey Powers. Wednesday's flight is Blue Origin's second with passengers – Bezos flew with three others in July.
Bezos has more free time on his hands these days after stepping down as CEO, a role that Amazon veteran Andy Jassy stepped into.
Bezos said he would devote more time to his space exploration company when he retired as CEO. He launched Blue Origin in 2000 and has said the company is his most important work, more so than Amazon. The goal, according to Bezos, is to democratize space travel and make it more accessible through reusable launch systems.
"I've never had more energy, and this isn't about retiring," Bezos said. "I'm super passionate about the impact I think these organizations can have."