Instagram Joes and Oliver Daemen
Joes Daemen is the father of Oliver Daemen, the 18-year-old Dutch teenager who became the youngest person to ever travel to space when he joined the Jeff Bezos space flight on July 20, 2021.
Daemen’s father paid for his son’s seat on the Bezos craft, which made it safely back to earth and included three other passengers. The family is from the Netherlands.
“We thank the auction winner for their generous support of Club for the Future and are honored to welcome Oliver to fly with us on New Shepard,” said Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin, in a statement posted to the company’s website. “This marks the beginning of commercial operations for New Shepard, and Oliver represents a new generation of people who will help us build a road to space.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Joes Daemen Is CEO of a Real Estate Private Equity Firm
Blue OriginOliver Daemen, 18, will be the youngest person to travel to space.
According to the Sun, Joes Daemen made a fortune in a real estate private equity firm. It’s called Somerset Capitol Partners, and he launched it in 2005.
It’s based in Oisterwijk, Netherlands.
The father’s experience is in “real estate investing, financial markets and private equity,” according to the Sun, which said he “has a Master of Science degree in Agriculture Economics and Marketing.”
2. Joes Paid for Oliver’s Seat on the Flight
We have liftoff! ✨🚀✨
#NewShepard @blueorigin
Launch occurred at 9:12 ET this morning, and the crew has returned safely back to the ground. Jeff Bezos, brother Mark Bezos, Wally Funk (now the oldest person to fly in space), and Oliver Daemen (now the youngest) were on board.
A seat on the historic flight didn’t come cheap, and Oliver’s dad purchased it, according to Distractify.
The site noted that Oliver replaced the anonymous winner of a $28 million auction for a seat on the first flight. He was originally supposed to go on the second flight, but the first bidder backed out. Blue Origin noted, “The winner of Blue Origin’s auction, who has asked to remain anonymous at this time, has chosen to fly on a future New Shepard mission due to scheduling conflicts. Club for the Future announced this week the auction gift has enabled Club to donate $1 million to 19 non-profit organizations ($19 million in total), all of which are working to support the future of living and working in space.”
How much is Joes Daemon’s net worth? Exact Net Worth.com reports that the “real estate mogul” is worth somewhere between $500 million and $1.2 billion.
According to Blue Origin, “Flying on New Shepard will fulfill a lifelong dream for Oliver, who has been fascinated by space, the Moon, and rockets since he was four. Oliver graduated from high school in 2020 and took a gap year before continuing his studies to obtain his private pilot’s license. This September, Oliver will attend the University of Utrecht to study physics and innovation management.”
3. Oliver Called the Trip a ‘Historic Moment’ on Instagram
Oliver Daemen has written about the flight on Instagram, where he declares himself the youngest astronaut.
“Wow! Thank you and congratulations to all of team @blueorigin for achieving this historic moment in spaceflight history!” he wrote.
Before the flight, he wrote, “Can’t wait for Tuesday!”
Before the space flight, Oliver’s Instagram page was pretty sparse, containing a few pictures of him scuba diving and surfing. He did recently share a photo showing him with his dad.
4. Oliver Made It Safely Back to Earth After Becoming the ‘First Paying Customer’ to Space
According to Bezos’s company Blue Origin, Oliver is the first paying customer to space.
“Today, Blue Origin announced Oliver Daemen will be the first paying customer to fly on board New Shepard, marking the beginning of commercial operations for the program,” the company wrote.
He will join Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, and Wally Funk aboard the first human flight on July 20. At 18-years-old and 82-years-young, Oliver Daemen and Wally Funk represent the youngest and oldest astronauts to travel to space.
5. Joes Is Married & the Couple Also Has a Daughter
LinkedInEline Dekker
According to Exact Net Worth, Joes is married to Eline Daemen Dekker who “volunteers for a program that helps the elderly combat loneliness.”
The site said she was previously a flight attendant for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and the couple also has a daughter named Charlotte.
On LinkedIn, Eline says that she is an ambassador for her husband’s firm.
She wrote that she received a bachelor’s degree from Inter College Business School, “Field Of Study Marketing / Commerciële economie (CE) – Specialisatie marketing management.” She attended Le Vieux Chalet, Chateau D’Oex, Switzerland, studying foreign languages.
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