Bob Smith, the CEO of Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin, is cautiously optimistic that his company will be sending tourists to space before the end of the year, according to CNBC.
Blue Origin trips will cost between $100,000 and $200,000 and take customers more than 62 miles above the earth to float freely within the 530 cubic foot capsule.
When asked about the possibility of Blue Origin taking customers into space in 2018, Mr. Smith was optimistic but did not make any guarantees.
"We hope so. We think we still have that possibility of getting that done this year," Mr. Smith told CNBC. "The thing we always want to make sure that we do every time, whether we're talking about step-by-step development or actually operations as well, we're going to go when we're ready — and we want to make sure it's completely safe for our passengers."