Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, celebrated a triumphant return to flight on Tuesday with the successful launch of its rocket. This marked the company’s first mission since a devastating crash over a year ago due to engine trouble.
The New Shepard rocket took off from West Texas, carrying a capsule filled with various experiments, including those that were originally planned for the failed Blue Origin launch in September 2022. Notably, there were no passengers aboard either flight.
This time, the capsule reached the fringes of space, giving the NASA and other experiments a few precious minutes of weightlessness before safely descending back to the desert floor with the aid of parachutes. The rocket itself landed first after separating from the capsule, reaching an impressive altitude of 66 miles during its 10-minute flight.
Last year’s unsuccessful launch had encountered a worrisome deviation from its intended trajectory shortly after liftoff. As a result, the escape system was activated, propelling the capsule away from the malfunctioning rocket. Fortunately, the capsule landed safely, while the rocket unfortunately crashed.
Upon investigation, it was determined that an overheated rocket-engine nozzle was the root cause of the failure. Design modifications have since been implemented to address this issue by strengthening the nozzles and combustion chambers.
Blue Origin has been conducting launches from this remote area in Texas for nearly two decades. Their collaboration with NASA began in 2019 with successful experiments, followed by crewed missions in 2021, including Jeff Bezos and his brother. Notably, “Star Trek” actor William Shatner also joined a subsequent crew a few months later.
To date, Blue Origin has completed six launches, carrying a total of 31 passengers and alternating between 10-minute flights and research missions.
“Following today’s mission, we have conducted a comprehensive review and eagerly anticipate our next crewed flight,” stated launch commentator Erika Wagner.
While their New Shepard rocket has been achieving impressive milestones, Blue Origin’s most ambitious project, the New Glenn rocket designed for orbital missions, is still awaiting its debut. The company aims to launch the New Glenn from Cape Canaveral, Florida, sometime next year.