CNBC reports, “NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on Monday told CNBC that it will ‘take some serious time’ to restore the launchpad damaged last week by a Blue Origin rocket explosion. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin was conducting a hot-fire test of its massive New Glenn rocket on Thursday at a Space Force launch facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida, when the rocket erupted into a fireball. Bezos confirmed that all Blue Origin personnel were safe following the incident, and pledged to rebuild, while calling it a ‘very rough day.'”
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Tag: Blue Origin
Blue Origin Investigates New Glenn Explosion as Mission Delays Loom
Via Satellite reports, “Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket faces a major setback after an explosion on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral on Thursday evening. This explosion will likely impact timelines for the rocket’s customers Amazon Leo, AST SpaceMobile, NASA, and its national security certification for the U.S. Space Force.”
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New Glenn Rocket Destroyed in Fiery Prelaunch Test at Cape Canaveral
The New York Times reports a Blue Origin rocket exploded during a ground test at a Florida launch facility Thursday evening. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. as the company was conducting prelaunch testing ahead of a future mission.
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New Glenn Grounded as BE-3U Thrust Issue Comes Into Focus
Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin says initial data suggests one of two BE-3U upper-stage engines did not deliver sufficient thrust to dispatch the AST SpaceMobile BlueBird 7 satellite to its intended orbit. The power issue occurred on the GS2 upper stage’s second burn, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said April 20. The issue has temporarily sidelined New Glenn as the company assesses what caused the malfunction.”
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New Glenn Mission Falls Short, Raising Questions for NASA’s Artemis Plans
The New York Times reports, “A rocket built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space company appeared to launch perfectly on Sunday, its booster even landing successfully on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. A few hours later, however, it became clear that all had not gone well. The massive New Glenn rocket had failed in its primary task: putting a commercial satellite into the proper orbit. This is a setback not only for Blue Origin, but also possibly NASA. Although the space agency played no role in Sunday’s mission, it is counting on Blue Origin to support the Artemis moon program.”
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New Glenn Booster Completes Hot Fire as Blue Origin Eyes Sunday Launch
Spaceflight Now reports, “Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket roared to life in a critical pre-launch demonstration of its main engines Thursday, less than an hour after the Sun crested over the horizon in Florida. The seven BE-4 engines fired for about 20 seconds, at 7:45 a.m. EDT (1145 UTC). Engineers will now pore through the data and if everything looks good, the launch with AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird-7 satellite could take place as soon as Sunday, April 19.”
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Blue Origin Halts Space Tourism Program as It Prioritizes Moon Efforts
The New York Times reports “the New Shepard rocket from Blue Origin, which brought 92 people on trips to the edge of space, will cease flying for at least two years as the company as the company prioritizes NASA contracts.”
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Blue Origin Sends Six Space Tourists to Edge of Space
Blue Origin launched six people to suborbital space Thursday (Jan. 22). SPACE reports it “was the 17th human spaceflight” for the company, “and the 38th mission overall for New Shepard, the company’s autonomous, reusable rocket-capsule combo.”
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Blue Origin Set for Six-Person Suborbital Mission on Jan. 22
SPACE reports Blue Origin will launch six people “to the final frontier on Thursday (Jan. 22), and you can watch the space tourism mission live. Blue Origin is scheduled to launch its NS-38 suborbital mission from West Texas on Thursday, during a window that opens at 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 GMT; 8:30 a.m. local Texas time). You can watch it live via Blue Origin.”
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Isaacman Meets With SpaceX, Blue Origin to Explore Faster Artemis Timeline
Aviation Week reports, “NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman this week met with SpaceX and Blue Origin officials to get a better sense of how to speed up the timelines around efforts to return to the Moon and look beyond. The meeting took place Jan. 13, ‘to understand the latest plans to accelerate NASA’s Artemis timeline,’ Isaacman said via social media.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)