Justin Sun to Fly with Blue Origin After $28M Bid for Space Mission

Key Takeaways

• Justin Sun secured his spot on Blue Origin’s 34th mission with a $28 million winning bid in 2021
• The mission will feature six crew members and launch within weeks using the New Shepard suborbital rocket system
• Sun has strengthened ties with President Trump through $75 million in cryptocurrency investments
• The Tron founder’s SEC lawsuit was dismissed in February under the new administration
• Sun’s current net worth stands at $8.5 billion according to Forbes

Blue Origin, the private space technology company founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, announced that Tron founder Justin Sun will join the crew for its next mission, scheduled to launch within weeks.

In a statement released Monday, Blue Origin confirmed that Sun will join five others on the company’s 34th mission aboard the New Shepard suborbital rocket, named after Alan Shepard, America’s first astronaut. Sun secured his seat with a winning bid of $28 million during a 2021 auction.

Originally, Sun had pledged to select the remaining crew members from the TRON DAO community—specifically long-term holders of tokens such as TRX, BTT, JST, SUN, NFT, and WIN. However, a representative later clarified that this group was not selected for the current flight. Instead, the roster includes a real estate investor, a tech entrepreneur, a journalist, and a venture capitalist.

Based on timelines from prior Blue Origin missions, the 34th launch is expected to take place within a few weeks. The company drew attention earlier this year with an April flight featuring an all-female crew, including singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, and Lauren Sánchez, Bezos’s then-fiancée..

Tron Founder Enters Trump’s Orbit

Based on timelines from prior Blue Origin missions, the 34th launch is expected to take place within a few weeks. The company drew attention earlier this year with an April flight featuring an all-female crew, including singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, and Lauren Sánchez, Bezos’s then-fiancée.

Sun has invested $75 million in digital assets through Trump’s cryptocurrency firm, World Liberty Financial (WLF), including $30 million placed prior to the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Eric Trump, the president’s son and WLF co-founder, publicly praised Sun as “a great friend” in June.

According to Forbes, Sun’s net worth currently stands at $8.5 billion. He has also purchased large quantities of the president’s memecoin, Official Trump (TRUMP), which is trading at $10.88. TRUMP token holders—including Sun—were invited to a private dinner with Trump in May. In July, Sun announced plans to buy an additional $100 million worth of memecoins.

Before his involvement with Trump-affiliated crypto ventures, Sun faced a lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2023. The agency accused him of manipulative trading practices and unlawful securities offerings. However, the case was dismissed in February 2025 after Sun and the SEC—now under Trump-appointed Chairman Mark Uyeda—jointly filed a motion to terminate the suit.

Sun’s upcoming flight marks another step in the commercialization of space tourism and extends his pattern of headline-making moves across industries—from blockchain to politics to outer space.

As Blue Origin prepares for liftoff, all eyes will be on how Sun leverages this next high-profile moment in his already turbulent and ambitious career.