(L-R) Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos.Photo: Prodip Guha/Getty
The Amazon billionaire’s girlfriend is planning a bash in his honor two weeks afterhe flew to space and returned to Earth, a source tells PEOPLE.
“Lauren is throwing a party to celebrate Jeff’s recent rocket launch,” says the insider. “Those coming are close family and friends (Jeff’s brother was also on the rocket), including all of the couple’s children.” (Bezos has three sons and one daughter with ex-wifeMacKenzie Scott, while Sanchez has a son with former NFL starTony Gonzalezand a son and daughter with agent Patrick Whitesell.)
As concerns grow about the rapidly spreading Delta variant of COVID-19, the source says that safety “protocols are being followed.”
“Everybody must show proof of vaccination, and the gathering will be held outdoors,” the insider adds.
Sanchez, 51, was among loved ones who watched Bezos, 57, launch to space from Van Horn, Texas, on July 20 alongside his brother Mark,Wally FunkandOliver Daemen.
Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos.
Together the four crew members embarked on a10-minute flight aboard his Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. Bezos' milestone marked thefirst space flight with humans on boardforBlue Origin, the aerospace manufacturing and spaceflight company the billionaire founded in 2000.
“We have a bunch of close friends here too,” he added. “It just makes me realize how much I love you and how much I’m loved.”
After greeting Bezos, Sanchez also offered congratulations to Daemen, the youngest person to ever travel into space at 18 years old, and Funk, the oldest at 82 years old.
Mark Bezos, Jeff Bezos, Oliver Daemen and Wally Funk.Blue Origin/UPI/Shutterstock
The billionaire space race is heating up, as SirRichard Branson flew to space via his Virgin Galactic service in July, whileElon Musk’s SpaceXfirst sent NASA astronauts to space in 2020.
Critics have questioned whether the billionaires should use their money not on pricey rockets and space vehicles but instead to fix problems plaguing Earth — a topic Bezos addressed in an interview.
“Well, I say they’re largely right. We have to do both,” Bezos toldCNNof the criticism 24 hours before his launch. “We have lots of problems here and now on Earth and we need to work on those, and we always need to look to the future. We’ve always done that as a species, as a civilization. We have to do both.”
source: people.com
