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Jeff Bezos' girlfriend, Lauren Sánchez, says she plans to go to space next year

jeff bezos lauren sanchez
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Jeff Bezos flew into space last year, and soon it'll be his girlfriend's turn.

Lauren Sánchez told CNN in an interview published Monday that she plans to go to space sometime in 2023.

A former reporter and anchor, Sánchez is also a trained helicopter pilot and founded an aerial filming and production company in 2016 called Black Ops Aviation. She and Bezos have publicly been in a relationship since 2019.

Sánchez told CNN that the former Amazon CEO won't be on the spaceflight with her, but she'll be joined by "a great group of females."

Bezos went to space in July 2021, on the first human spaceflight for Blue Origin, his aerospace company. Also on the flight were his brother Mark; then-82-year-old aviator Wally Funk, and Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen.

Also in the CNN interview Monday, Bezos pledged to give away the majority of his $124 billion fortune in his lifetime. He had drawn flak in recent years for not having signed the Giving Pledge, a vow by some of the world's richest people to donate most of their wealth to charitable causes.

Bezos' ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, signed the Giving Pledge in 2019 and has given away more than $12 billion since.

In addition, Bezos addressed rumors that he's interested in buying the NFL's Washington Commanders.

"Yes, I've heard that buzz," he told CNN.

"I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I played football growing up as a kid … and it is my favorite sport," he added. "So we'll just have to wait and see."

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Sarah Jackson
Sarah Jackson was a senior reporter at Business Insider who covers tech and trending business news, with a focus on the workplace. She has covered The Great Resignation, workplace trends, remote work and RTO, tech layoffs, the job search, and more. Before joining Business Insider in 2021, Sarah also wrote for places like Inc., NBC News, and The Today Show. She received her B.A. in journalism from NYU.Some of Sarah's top stories include:Workers are 'epiphany-quitting' their jobs after the pandemic forced them to rethink everything about their livesJob postings can reveal signs of trouble ahead with a potential employer or role. Here are the red flags that candidates should look for.The 'hushed hybrid' work schedule is the latest way employees are getting around a return to the officeNew York City employers are now required to list salary ranges in their job posts. Here's how that will affect candidates and companies.as-told-to: I do 'Bare Minimum Mondays' at work to help beat the 'Sunday scaries' and avoid burnout. It's completely changed my life and how I approach my job.