Bezos’ company is back in space: Blue Origin successfully launches its New Shepard rocket after 15 month ban due to a craft malfunction
- Blue Origin launched a New Shepard rocket from West Texas at 11:43 a.m. ET
- The mission follows a 15-month suspension due to a previous missile failure
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin successfully launched its space tourism rocket on Tuesday after a 15-month suspension due to a previous spacecraft malfunction.
New Shepard took off from the West Texas factory at 11:43 a.m. ET, with science experiments on board – there were no humans on board.
The reusable rocket, named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space, ignited its liquid hydrogen-powered engine and produced 110,000 pounds of thrust.
New Shepard flew into space, reached microgravity, and separated to allow the capsule to test charges in microgravity.
This is a developing story…more updates to come.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin successfully launched its space tourism rocket on Tuesday after a 15-month suspension due to a previous spacecraft malfunction
The mission – dubbed NS-24 – carried 33 scientific and research payloads for customers including NASA and several US universities.
Also on board were 38,000 postcards submitted by students as part of a program led by Club for the Future, Blue Origin's educational nonprofit.
Once the postcards return to Earth, they are stamped 'Flown to Space' and returned to each student as a unique souvenir.
Mission control confirmed the separation of the capsule and booster approximately 15 minutes into the mission, allowing payloads to experience microgravity for several minutes.
The booster made a soft landing in the desert at 11:53 a.m. ET, and the capsule touched down three minutes later as its parachutes slid it back to Earth.
New Shepard took off from the company's West Texas facility with science experiments at 11:43 a.m. ET — there were no humans on board
The rocket flew into space and provided Blue Origin with epic images of the mission
“This is New Shepard's 24th flight and 13th mission,” the company said on its website.
“This mission will bring the number of payloads flown to space on New Shepard to more than 150.”
NS-24 has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to proceed.
The mission's predecessor, NS-23, made headlines in September 2022 for all the wrong reasons.
The booster made a soft landing in the desert at 11:53 a.m. ET
The capsule landed three minutes later and floated back to Earth with its parachutes
The company's rocket had its first launch failure on September 12 due to an “anomaly” about a minute after launch.
It forced the capsule to activate its escape system to drive away from the booster when the engine failed.
The capsule quickly ignited its escape engine, generating at least 70,000 pounds of thrust in just a few seconds, then burned out so the craft could deploy its parachutes and sail back to Earth.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a year-long investigation into the incident and ordered the company to take 21 corrective actions before it could resume launches.
One report blamed the failure of an engine nozzle, caused by higher than expected engine operating temperatures.
“During the accident, systems on board the launch vehicle detected the anomaly, caused a breakdown and separation of the capsule from the propulsion module as intended and shut down the engine,” the FAA said.
However, Tuesday's successful mission means Blue Origin can continue its space tourism program that takes paying customers to the final frontier.