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Oliver Daemen is all set to create history by being the youngest person to travel to space alongside Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The 18-year-old would be the first ever tourist to pay for space travel.
On July 20th, Bezos’ company will launch the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket that will stay in space for nearly eleven minutes. Oliver Daemen successfully made his place on the flight with Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos and Wally Funk.
The company previously organized an auction to select the winning traveler who will be a part of the launch. Oliver’s father, Joes Daemen, founder of private equity firm Somerset Capital Partners, made the second highest bid at the auction.
Oliver Daemen was given the place after the winning bidder, who placed $28 million on the ticket, was shifted to a later flight. As of now, the actual cost of Oliver’s ticket remains unknown.
Following the confirmation, Oliver took to Twitter to share his excitement:
“I am super excited to go to space. I've been dreaming about this all my life and I will become the youngest astronaut ever because I'm 18 years old. I am super excited to experience zero G and see the world from above.”
While Oliver will be the youngest space traveler, his fellow traveler, 82-year-old Wally Funk, will be the oldest person to travel to space.
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Meet Oliver Daemen, the youngest person to travel to space
Oliver Daemen was born to parents Joes Daemen and Eline Daemen Dekker on August 20th, 2003 in Oisterwijk, Netherlands. He is a physics student and completed his graduation from Saint-Adolf High School.
Following his graduation, Oliver Daeman reportedly took a one year gap from academics to obtain a pilot certificate. He successfully received his private pilot license last year. Reports suggest that he is all to attend Utrecht University this year to continue higher studies in the field of physics and innovation management.
While Oliver’s father Joes Daemen is a well-known entrepreneur, his mother, Eline Daemen, is a former crew member of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Joes Daemen founded his own private equity company in 2005 and currently owns a multi-million dollar empire. According to ExactNetWorth, he has an approximate net worth between $500 million and $1.2 billion.
Oliver Daemen grabbed headlines after being officially declared the youngest member to pay his way into space travel. As per the space launch company, Oliver has been passionate about outer space since his childhood:
"Flying on New Shepard will fulfill a lifelong dream for Oliver, who has been fascinated by space, the Moon, and rockets since he was four."
In addition, Oliver is also interested in water sports and adventures. He is often seen undertaking underwater activities like snorkeling, wakeboarding, scuba diving and surfing. He is also a passionate traveler and often posts pictures from his trips on social media.
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