Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos launched Blue Origin, a private spaceflight company, and it recently revealed that it may launch its New Shepard rocket as soon as Monday. After a catastrophic engine failure in 2022 that destroyed a science payload, New Shepard has not taken off or touched down for more than a year. For Blue Origin, which is competing for multiple lucrative NASA contracts, this is a significant time. Many of the experiments lost in the last expedition will be reflown, but there won’t be a crew on board.
Though it doesn’t receive as much attention as SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9, New Shepard is a rocket. The payload capacity of New Shepard is significantly less, and it is not intended to reach orbit. It travels in a sub-orbital path, ascending to the boundary of space before descending to the earth. Although Blue Origin has employed this vehicle for research and space tourism, it is unknown if it will be beneficial in the long run.
The rocket was brought to a stop after the September 2022 NS-23 launch. One of the New Shepard’s BE-3 engines failed shortly after takeoff, resulting in an explosion. Fortunately, the capsule was blasted away from the launcher by the craft’s emergency escape mechanism. It’s quite likely that whoever was inside the capsule survived. When the booster struck the earth, it was completely destroyed.
Based on their internal analysis, Blue Origin claims to have modified the BE-3 combustion chamber. This past September, the Federal Aviation Administration concluded its accident investigation. October was when Blue Origin was supposed to make the announcement about New Shepard being back into service, but it had to postpone, according to reports, as it worked to certify new engine parts.
The precise launch date will depend on the circumstances, but the launch window opens on Monday, December 18. Launched without a crew, the NS-24 will carry 33 science payloads and 38,000 postcards from the STEM advocacy group Club for the Future.
Blue Origin has its sights set on larger rockets as it attempts to fit in a single flight for 2023. The business intends to make its first launch of a bigger New Glenn rocket. This reusable vehicle is intended for use in orbit, much like the Falcon 9. In addition, Blue Origin has a contract in place to construct a lunar lander for NASA’s next Artemis missions. As private vehicles gain traction, the company anticipates receiving further government contracts. For an aircraft company that hasn’t yet reached orbit, they are significant obstacles. The first stage is to demonstrate that it can launch New Shepard successfully after a long break.