Blue Origin
- On July 20, the billionaire Amazon cofounder Jeff Bezos briefly went to space.
- This November, you can own a replica model of the rocket that transported him for just $69.99.
- The ship looks familiar: "My sister has one of them in her drawer," one YouTube commenter said.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
On July 20, the billionaire Amazon cofounder Jeff Bezos briefly went to space in a rocket from his rocket company, Blue Origin.
This November, you can put a near-perfect replica of that ship into your home. Estes Industries is selling a 1/66th scale replica of the New Shepard rocket starting at $69. It's the product of a collaboration between Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future, and longtime model rocket manufacturer Estes Industries.
The rocket can even be propelled into the sky about 400 feet by using generic model rocket engines.
"Like the Blue Origin New Shepard, you can fly the Estes New Shepard again and again," the company's pre-order page says.
Also, like Blue Origin's rocket, the Estes model bears a striking resemblance to a vibrator – even more so, in fact, given the shrunken down size. As one YouTube commenter put it, "My sister has one of them in her drawer."
That the price is $69, a common reference to the sexual position of the same name, is only adding fuel to the fire.
A more expensive "Starter Set," which costs $109, comes with everything you need to both build the rocket and propel it into the sky - a significant saving over the billions of dollars Jeff Bezos has invested in creating and funding Blue Origin.
Bezos - alongside his brother Mark, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, and 82-year-old Wally Funk - took the New Shepard rocket created by Bezos' space company into suborbital space on the morning of July 20.
The crew enjoyed a three-minute period of weightlessness before descending back to Earth.
A live broadcast of the event captured the capsule's descent and the crew's excited reactions after having reached the edge of space and returning safely.
Check out a video featuring the model rocket right here:
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