Apparently you can’t make a call to Geico and add “Space Travel” insurance to your home and auto policy.
In fact, finding insurance to cover a civilians trip into the stratosphere is past Cliff from State Farm’s pay grade.
That’s what billionaire space geeks Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are finding out as their target dates of blasting into space looms.
The New York Times reports that the neither has purchased liability insurance, and it’s doubtful Branson will find a policy in time to be covered for his mission on Sunday. Bezos blasts off nine days later.
Insurance brokers in the know have said that there’s no evidence to suggest Branson has a policy, which means there would be nothing protecting him outside his massive net worth would he be injured or worse on his excursion.
It’s the same story according to the brokers regarding Bezos and his July 22 trip.
As for the VVS Unity spacecraft Branson will be flying in, most likely that does have insurance for the voyage.
Now technically, even though Branson was so desperate to get into the air before Bezos, his flight is actually considered domestic travel because his aircraft will launch and land in the same place without technically crossing into space. Branson will travel 55 miles above sea level, which is considered on the edge of space.
Bezos will fly in his Blue Origin rocket 62 miles above sea level, passing the Karman Line which makes it an official flight into space. After his rocket burns all of the fuel, parachutes will deploy and Bezos will fall back to earth and land in the Texas desert.
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