Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, successfully launched a rocket carrying experiments on Tuesday, marking its first flight since a crash more than a year ago. The New Shepard rocket, which took off from West Texas, lifted a capsule filled with tests, including those that were aboard the failed Blue Origin launch in September 2022. No passengers were on board during either flight.
The capsule reached the fringes of space, providing several minutes of weightlessness for the experiments from NASA and other organizations before parachuting back down to the desert. Following the release of the capsule, the rocket safely landed. The flight reached an altitude of 66 miles (107 km) during its 10-minute journey.
The failure of the 2022 launch was attributed to an overheated rocket engine nozzle that broke apart. Blue Origin made design changes to the nozzles and combustion chambers to address the issue.
Blue Origin has been conducting launches from a remote area in Southeast El Paso for nearly two decades. In 2019, the company launched its first experiments for NASA, followed by its first crewed flights in 2021, which included Jeff Bezos and his brother. The second crew, a few months later, featured Star Trek actor William Shatner.
Since then, Blue Origin has conducted a total of six launches with 31 passengers, alternating between the 10-minute flights and research hops.
Following a thorough review of today’s mission, we look forward to flying our next crewed flight soon, stated Erika Wagner, the launch commentator.
Although Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, designed for orbital missions, has yet to fly, the company aims to debut it next year from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
As Blue Origin continues to make progress in its space endeavors, the successful launch of the New Shepard rocket after the 2022 crash marks a significant achievement. The company’s commitment to addressing the issues from the previous failure demonstrates its dedication to ensuring the safety and success of its missions. With the future debut of the New Glenn rocket, Blue Origin is poised to make an even greater impact in the space exploration industry.
