Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin is developing three new suborbital New Shepard launch systems and mulling expanding flight services beyond West Texas, the company said Sept. 28. The current two-ship fleet will be retired by the end of 2027, with the first of three new spacecraft expected to debut next year, Senior Vice President Phil Joyce said during the Global Spaceport Alliance forum ahead of the International Astronautical Congress being held in Sydney this week.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: New Shepard
Blue Origin Launches NS-34 Mission
SPACE reports, “Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched a crypto billionaire and five other people to the final frontier on Sunday (Aug. 3). The mission — known as NS-34, because it was the 34th overall flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle — lifted off from the company’s West Texas spaceport at 8:43 a.m. EDT (1243 GMT; 7:43 a.m. local time in West Texas).”
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Blue Origin Launches All-Woman Crew on NS-31 Mission
Space News reports, “Blue Shepard launched six women, including a pop star and TV show host, on a suborbital flight of the company’s New Shepard vehicle April 14. New Shepard lifted off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern from the company’s Launch Site One in West Texas after a problem-free countdown. The vehicle’s capsule, RSS Kármán Line, reached a peak altitude of 106 kilometers before landing 10 minutes and 21 seconds after liftoff.”
Full Story (Space News)
More Info (AIAA Statement)
Video
Blue Origin’s launch with Katy Perry and Gayle King
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)
Blue Origin Successfully Launches New Shepard on NS-30 Mission
Space News reports, “Blue Origin conducted the tenth crewed flight of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle Feb. 25, carrying six people. The New Shepard vehicle lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas at 10:49 a.m. Eastern. The vehicle’s crew capsule reached a peak altitude of 107 kilometers above sea level before making a safe landing 10 minutes and 8 seconds after liftoff. The booster made a powered landing about two and a half minutes earlier.”
Full Story (Space News)
More Info (AIAA Statement)
Video
New Shepard Mission NS-30 Webcast
(The Launch Pad; YouTube)
Blue Origin Scheduled to Launch 10th Space Tourism Flight Today
SPACE reports, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company, Blue Origin, “plans to launch its 10th space tourism mission this morning (Feb. 25), and you can watch the action live . Blue Origin’s suborbital New Shepard vehicle will lift off from the company’s West Texas site today during a window that opens at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT; 9:30 a.m. local Texas time).”
Full Story (SPACE)
Blue Origin to Launch 10th Crewed New Shepard Private Astronaut Mission
Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin has announced plans for a 10th crewed New Shepard suborbital rocket mission with six private astronauts. A date for the launch of the reusable New Shepard with its crew capsule from the company’s West Texas launch site will be announced soon, the company’s Feb. 18 announcement says.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Blue Origin Successfully Launches New Shepard on NS-29 Mission
AP News reports that yesterday “Blue Origin launched the 29 lunar technology experiments to the edge of space from West Texas. The company later confirmed that roughly two minutes of artificial lunar gravity were achieved by spinning the capsule 11 times a minute. It was Blue Origin’s first attempt at mimicking lunar gravity, which is one-sixth that of Earth.”
Full Story (AP News)
More Info (AIAA Statement)
Video
New Shepard Mission NS-29 Webcast
(Blue Origin; YouTube)
Blue Origin Set to Launch New Shepard Moon-Gravity Mission
SPACE reports, “Blue Origin is targeting Feb. 4 for the 29th launch of its New Shepard suborbital rocket, which was postponed from Jan. 28 due to weather and a technical “issue with the rocket’s avionics. But everything appears to be in order now … Liftoff of the NS-29 mission is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET.”
Full Story (SPACE)
AIAA Statement on Blue Origin’s Successful NS-28 Mission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Clay Mowry:
“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate Blue Origin on its successful NS-28 mission. The New Shepard program embodies the promises of space for the benefit of Earth. Reusability is the future of launch. With its emphasis on reusability and sustainability, Blue Origin is leading the charge in reducing the cost of access to space while enabling the growth of a vibrant space economy.
Congratulations to the NS-28 crew – Emily, Sharon, Marc, Austin, J.D., and Hank – on their remarkable journey beyond the Kármán line today. It’s exciting to witness Marc’s and Sharon’s second spaceflight and see how Sharon is impacting the next generation of explorers through her work with SpaceKids Global.
We’re especially proud to celebrate Emily Calandrelli, also known as The Space Gal, on her transformative experience onboard New Shepard. Emily’s leadership as a Space4All Champion, inspiring young women and girls to explore STEM fields, has reached new heights as she becomes the 100th women to go to space. Her flight serves as a testament to the growing accessibility of space exploration and will undoubtedly inspire countless individuals to see themselves in space careers.
AIAA proudly supports the Space4Allnational space STEM awareness initiative, which is committed to promoting the vast benefits and limitless opportunities associated with space exploration and development for students and jobseekers everywhere who may otherwise believe that a future in space and STEM is unattainable for them. Through education, advocacy, and outreach, Space4All seeks to unlock opportunities for students, educators, and job seekers to contribute to humanity’s space-faring future. In its first year, Space4All has already reached more than 12 million people.
We applaud AIAA Corporate Member Blue Origin for shaping the future of aerospace.”
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter.
Blue Origin’s Second Human-rated New Shepard Makes First Flight
Space News reports, “Blue Origin carried out the first flight of a new model of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle Oct. 23, a mission the company called ‘nominal and on target’ despite going to a slightly lower altitude than past flights. The uncrewed NS-27 mission lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas at 11:26 a.m. Eastern. The company had scrubbed an initial launch attempt Oct. 7 for unspecified technical issues that could not be resolved before the launch window closed, and Blue Origin called off a second attempt Oct. 13 ‘to troubleshoot a GPS issue.’”
Full Story (Space News)
More Info (AIAA Statement)
Video
New Shepard Mission NS-27 (Launch at 10:53 mark)
(Blue Origin; YouTube)