TRON Founder and Turkish Businessman Set for Blue Origin Space Journey
The next Blue Origin crewed mission is drawing attention not just for its destination, but for who’s aboard.
Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun and Turkish industrialist Gökhan Erdem are among six passengers selected for the upcoming New Shepard NS-34 launch, marking another milestone in the rise of private space travel.
This will be Blue Origin’s 14th human mission and its 34th overall. While the launch date remains unannounced, the company has confirmed that a live broadcast will begin half an hour before liftoff.
Sun, who bid $28 million for a seat in 2021, donated the amount to youth-focused space charities instead of flying at the time. Now, he’s finally taking the trip. Known for founding TRON and advising the crypto exchange HTX, Sun has often spoken about his fascination with pushing human boundaries—including in space.
Joining him is Erdem Holding board member Gökhan Erdem, a business figure with interests spanning energy and manufacturing. Erdem is also a passionate space enthusiast with aspirations to one day reach the International Space Station.
The rest of the crew includes Arvi Bahal, Deborah Martorell, Lionel Pitchford, and JD Russell—each bringing unique backgrounds to the mission. As Blue Origin continues to send more civilians beyond Earth, this flight highlights how space is no longer just the realm of astronauts, but of innovators from every corner of society.
Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work at Coindoo has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem. To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem. His academic background in Marketing Management from Denmark further complements his analytical approach, adding a strong understanding of communication strategy and content positioning to his work.
