Outgoing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has announced that that he and his brother Mark will fly on New Shepard, a Blue Origin spacecraft, when it blasts off on July 20.

Jeff Bezos, who founded Blue Origin in 2000, will fly alongside Mark and the winner of an online auction, who will have bid at least $2.8 million for their seat. 

The passengers will spend at least 10 minutes floating in zero gravity inside the capsule during the suborbital sightseeing trip. 

Blue Origin named the New Shepard program after astronaut Alan Shepard, who was the first American to fly into space exactly 60 years ago. 

'Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,' Bezos posted to his Instagram account.

'On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend.' 

The flight date is just 15 days after Bezos resigns as CEO of Amazon, a company he founded in his garage in 1994.  

In a short video announcement, he said: 'I want to go on this flight because it's a thing I've wanted to do all my life. It's an adventure. It's a big deal for me.' 

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The two Bezos brothers will be part of a crew of six on New Shepard, along with the highest bidder from the public auction. The remaining places will be taken by Blue Origin staff. 

According to the company's website, the highest bid from the public for the exclusive spot is $2.8 million. It has stayed at this figure since the end of May.