Tag: New Shepard

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)

Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket Successfully Launches

AP reports that Blue Origin successfully “launched a rocket carrying experiments on Tuesday, its first flight since engine trouble caused a crash more than a year ago.” The New Shepard rocket “soared from West Texas, lifting a capsule full of tests, many of which were aboard the failed Blue Origin launch in September 2022.” No one “was aboard that flight or this latest one.” This time, the capsule “made it to the fringes of space, exposing the experiments from NASA and others to a few minutes of weightlessness, before parachuting back down to the desert.” The rocket “landed first, after releasing the capsule.” It “reached an altitude of 66 miles (107 kilometers) during the 10-minute flight.”
Full Story (Associated Press)
More Info (AIAA Statement)

Video

Blue Origin New Shepard Mission Launch 19 Dec. 2023
(YouTube)

Blue Origin Delays New Shepard Launch

SPACE reports that Blue Origin’s first mission “in more than 15 months was officially delayed on Monday (Dec. 18) after a last-minute scrub.” Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle “was originally supposed to lift off as early as 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 GMT or 8:30 a.m. EST) on Monday.” Following a one-hour delay “due to cold temperatures at the company’s West Texas site, however, Blue Origin announced a scrub on X, formerly known as Twitter.” Officials said, “We’re scrubbing #NS24 today due to a ground system issue the team is troubleshooting. We’ll provide a new launch target for this week soon.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Blue Origin to Resume New Shepard Suborbital Launches

Space News reports that Blue Origin “has announced plans to launch its New Shepard suborbital vehicle on its first flight since a mishap more than 15 months ago.” Blue Origin “announced on social media Dec. 12 that it will launch its New Shepard vehicle no earlier than Dec. 18 from its West Texas test site.” The vehicle “will carry 33 experiments as well as 38,000 postcards from Club for the Future, the educational nonprofit affiliated with the company.” The mission, designated NS-24, “would be the first for New Shepard since a mishap on a September 2022 flight, NS-23.”
Full Story (Space News)

AIAA Statement on Design/Build/Launch Student Experiments Onboard Successful Blue Origin New Shepard Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 19, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher:

“Congratulations to the Blue Origin team on today’s successful return to flight for their New Shepard rocket. AIAA recognizes the countless industry professionals who support New Shepard. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member Blue Origin for its perseverance in addressing the findings from the NS-23 mission mishap to achieve this successful mission today.

We are thrilled that two AIAA-sponsored student experiments were conducted during today’s New Shepard flight. The two experiments are winners of the Design/Build/Launch (DBL) competition sponsored by AIAA and Blue Origin:

  • Improving Fluid Management Through A Novel Microgravity Slosh Mitigation Technique by Eleanor Sigrest, graduate and valedictorian of a dual program at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, and the Governor’s School at Innovation Park, Manassas, Virginia
  • Acoustic Levitation Under Variable G by Puneeth Bheesetty, Anna Porter Puckett, and Jaden Shawyer, graduates ofGranby High School, Norfolk, Virginia

The DBL program is targeted to high school students, giving them an opportunity to develop creative research proposals for experimental payloads designed to study short-duration microgravity effects. The winners received $1,000 grants to prepare their work for flight onboard New Shepard.

We are excited to witness these students conducting their microgravity experiments and we can’t wait to hear more about their results. Their enthusiasm and passion inspire us as we anticipate their remarkable career journeys toward shaping the future of aerospace.”

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. 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, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

 

Video

Blue Origin New Shepard Mission Launch 19 Dec. 2023
(YouTube)

Commercial Space Companies Warn Congress to Improve Regulations or US May Lose Spaceflight Lead

Spaceflight Now reports that the three companies that “have flown people to space and back, Blue Origin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, joined two experts at a Congressional hearing to press for regulatory improvements, warning the US risks losing its lead in spaceflight.” The 1.5-hour-long hearing “before the US Senate Subcommittee on Space and Science was mainly focused on a regulatory framework called ‘Part 450,’ which was designed to help streamline the process of issuing launch licenses under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation, which goes by the acronym AST.” The five witnesses “argued that not only is the current regulatory framework not achieving its ideal goals, but it is stifling growth and innovation in the commercial launch market.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket May Fly Soon Following Closing of FAA Investigation

The Orlando (FL) Sentinel reports that on Wednesday, the FAA “said it had closed its investigation into the flight of an uncrewed Blue Origin New Shepard rocket that ended with its booster destroyed and a capsule that had to use its emergency escape system.” The September 12, 2022, “mishap” was due to a “structural failure of an engine nozzle caused by higher than expected engine operating temperatures,” according to a release from the FAA. With the nozzle too hot, it “caused a trajectory change about one minute after liftoff from Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site.” The capsule on the NS-23 mission “that was carrying science payloads performed as designed, though, blasting away from the booster after which it performed a parachute-assisted landing near the launch site.” The FAA’s investigation “resulted in 21 corrective actions Blue Origin had to undertake, including a redesign of the engine and nozzle components so the rocket boosters won’t suffer the same fate on future missions.” While the rocket “remains grounded for now, Blue Origin on its social media posted that flights would resume shortly.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel)

AIAA Statement on Blue Origin’s Successful New Shepard Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 20, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates our corporate member Blue Origin on its successful first human flight of its New Shepard rocket today. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:

“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we are excited to congratulate Jeff Bezos and the Blue Origin team on their accomplishments today! The successful New Shepard Mission NS-16 builds upon today’s anniversary when we first touched the moon and accelerates us toward where we’re going next. Blue Origin is opening up access to space travel for more people. We believe this will help extend the human neighborhood beyond planet Earth.

We commend Blue Origin for turning this mission’s seat auction into inspiration. The AIAA Foundation is honored to be among the organizations chosen to receive $1 million each to inspire future generations to pursue STEM careers. We look forward to engaging students and educators with new, innovative, and creative STEM education opportunities, as well as expanding the robust K-12 and university programs we have enabled for the last 25 years.

We are excited to build on our existing partnership with Blue Origin through our Design/Build/Launch (DBL) competition, giving high school students opportunities to develop and fly microgravity research payloads onboard future missions of New Shepard. We are proud of our recently announced 2021 DBL winners – Puneeth Bheesetty, Anna Porter Puckett, and Jaden Shawyer – from Granby High School, Norfolk, Virginia. They join our 2020 DBL winner, Eleanor Sigrest, who recently graduated as valedictorian of a dual program at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, and the Governor’s School at Innovation Park in Manassas, Virginia. We look forward to seeing their research payloads fly aboard New Shepard and hearing their results at an ASCEND event – a gathering of the global community focused on building humanity’s off-world future faster.

We recognize the countless aerospace industry professionals who are involved in making today’s mission a success. We salute and applaud the Blue Origin team for turning dreams into reality and helping shape the future of aerospace.”

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About ASCEND
Powered by AIAA, ASCEND promotes the collaborative, interdisciplinary, outcomes-driven community of professionals, students, and serious enthusiasts around the world who are accelerating humanity’s progress toward our off-world future! For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

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, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

FAA Grounds Blue Origin New Shepard Rocket Pending Investigation of Aborted Launch

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the FAA has grounded the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket pending an investigation to “determine whether any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap affected public safety” after the New Shepard suffered a launch mishap about a minute after liftoff. The FAA wrote, “The anomaly that occurred triggered the capsule escape system. The capsule landed safely and the booster impacted within the designated hazard area. No injuries or public property damage have been reported.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel)

Blue Origin Launches Sixth New Shepard Flight

CBS News reports that Blue Origin “launched its sixth New Shepard passenger flight Thursday, taking a half dozen space tourists on a supersonic dash to the edge of space and back, complete with a few minutes of weightlessness and out-of-this world views from 66 miles above west Texas.” The New Shepard rocket and capsule took off from Blue Origin’s “West Texas launch site Thursday, carrying an international six-member crew on a 10-minute flight to the edge of space and back.”
Full Story (CBS News)
More Info (AIAA Statement)

 

 Video

New Shepard Mission NS-22
(Blue Origin; YouTube)

Blue Origin Confirms Vehicles for Tuesday’s Crewed Mission Are Ready for Launch

Forbes reports that on Sunday, Blue Origin “announced that everything looks set and ready to go for its first human spaceflight, which will launch” company founder Jeff Bezos “and three others over 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface before their safe return.” The mission is scheduled to launch Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. EDT. Chief engineer Chris Jaeger said, “The vehicles are ready to fly.” He added that the New Shepard rocket and the RSS First Step capsule have been checked since their last test flights, and “there are no engineering or technical issues” with the vehicles.
Full Story

FAA Approves Bezos’ Blue Origin for Crewed Space Travel

Reuters reports that the FAA announced Monday that it is approving Blue Origin’s application to carry humans into space on the New Shepard launch system. The license “is valid through August and is approved to conduct these missions from its Launch Site One facility in Texas.” Fox Business reports that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos “is scheduled to fly into space on July 20 on New Shepard’s 16th flight.”
Full Story (Reuters); More Info (Fox Business)

Blue Origin Begins Unsealed Phase of Auction for Seat on New Shepard Launch

SPACE reports that on Wednesday, Blue Origin began the unsealed phase of the bidding process for a seat on a July 20 New Shepard spacecraft launch. The unsealed phase follows online sealed bidding that began May 5. Per the Blue Origin website, the leading bid for the seat as of 4:00 a.m. EDT was $2.8 million. The “‘unsealed online bidding’ phase runs through June 10, and the event concludes with a live auction on June 12.” Blue Origin wrote in the auction description that the proceeds from the auction “will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] and help invent the future of life in space.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Blue Origin to Auction Off Seat for July Flight to Space

ABC News reports that Blue Origin “said Wednesday it has opened an online auction for one of six seats aboard the New Shepard, its suborbital vehicle designed for space tourism, for the July 20 flight.” After “completing 15 consecutive missions to space and back with New Shepard, the company said it is ready to fly its first civilian passenger from its remote Van Horn, Texas, launch site.” The flight “will last between 10 and 12 minutes, during which the capsule will pass” the Karman Line – “the internationally recognized line of space.” After passing the Karman Line, “the astronauts will be able to unbuckle their seatbelts and float in zero gravity for about three minutes,” according to Blue Origin Director of Astronaut and Orbital Sales Ariane Cornell.
Full Story (ABC News

Blue Origin Schedules New Shepard Suborbital Test Flight for Wednesday

Spaceflight Now reports that Blue Origin is planning to launch its New Shepard booster and crew capsule on a suborbital test flight at 11:15 a.m. EDT Wednesday. The launch will take off from Blue Origin’s “expansive desert launch site north of Van Horn, Texas.” Blue Origin said that the test flight is a “verification step for the vehicle and operations prior to flying astronauts.” Blue Origin “said its employees will perform ‘astronaut operational exercises’ before and after the test flight Wednesday.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Blue Origin to Launch New Shepard Mission August 25

Space News reports that Blue Origin will conduct “its next New Shepard suborbital mission Aug. 25 with a set of research payloads, but not people, on board on the vehicle’s first flight under a revised launch license.” The NS-17 mission will launch from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One the morning of August 25, and will carry 18 research payloads aboard the capsule.
Full Story (Space News)

NASA, Space Force See Benefits in Using Commercial Space Services

Space News reports that NASA Chief Economist Alexander MacDonald said private competition for NASA contracts is “one of the most exciting things that we’re seeing.” MacDonald said the announcement of privately designed commercial space stations to succeed the International Space Station are “very exciting from a market dynamics perspective.”
Full Story (Space News)