More than 1.3 lakh internet users have signed petitions opposing Jeff Bezos' return to Earth after his space mission next month. Jeff Bezos, the founder of the space exploration business Blue Origin, had stated earlier in June that he and his brother, Mark Bezos, would be the first individuals to fly into space aboard his company's New Shepard rocket on July 20.
Two petitions were filed three days after Jeff Bezos' announcement to ban him from returning to Earth. Currently, every petition that has been launched has thousands of supporters. 37,000 people signed a change.org petition titled "Do not allow Jeff Bezos to return to Earth."
“Billionaires should not exist on earth, or in space, but if they choose the latter, they should stay there,” states the petition's description.
Jose Ortiz started a petition called "Petition To Not Allow Jeff Bezos Re-Entry To Earth," which currently has over 19000 signatures. The petition claims that Bezos is an evil ruler hellbent on global dominance and that the fate of humanity is in our hands. According to Change.org, both petitions want 25,000 to 50,000 signatures, making them two of the most popular petitions on the platform.
Some supporters of the petition stated that being allowed back onto Earth is a luxury, not a right. Others claimed that Jeff, Bill, and Elon are not wanted on Earth.
Bezos plans to take an 11-minute ride to the edge of space in New Shepard with his brother and an anonymous Auction winner. The auction was won by an unknown bidder who paid $28 million to take their place. The passengers will be seated in a dome-shaped capsule atop the rocket launcher.
New Shepard begins his journey by flying to the Kármán Line, an imaginary border just 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the Earth's surface. The capsule is designed to detach from the rocket, re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, and use parachutes to drift back to Earth.