Looking ahead to the year in space exploration: Uncrewed lunar missions and the launch of the first private space station in 2025.
What occurred during the Blue Origin launch from West Texas?
The New Shepard was launched around 11 a.m. EST from Launch Site One, situated over 140 miles east of El Paso in Culberson County, as reported by Blue Origin.
New Shepard is a reusable launch vehicle with a capsule that returns to Earth via three parachutes. The rocket is propelled by a single BE-3PM engine, propelling it to suborbit before slowing down to just 6 miles per hour for a controlled landing back on the launch pad.
The capsule and rocket booster separated nearly three minutes into the flight, and by the fourth minute, the capsule successfully established lunar gravity conditions, according to Blue Origin’s live stream coverage.
The booster then landed back within 7-and-a-half minutes of takeoff. Although one of its three parachutes had a delayed deployment, the capsule also safely landed just after 10 minutes into the flight in a remote area where a team was deployed to recover the craft and its scientific payloads.
The company initially attempted to launch the NS-29 mission on Jan. 28 but had to call off the attempt due to poor weather and technical issues.
How did the New Shepard spacecraft replicate lunar gravity?
The New Shepard spacecraft ascended towards the edge of space on Tuesday. This Blue Origin spacecraft, comprising both a rocket and a capsule, marked its 29th flight.
The New Shepard mission is not the first to transport scientific payloads to the edge of space, but it was the first to imitate the gravitational conditions of the moon.
To replicate these conditions, the capsule had to rotate at approximately 11 revolutions per minute, providing around two minutes of lunar gravity forces. Blue Origin mentioned that prior to this, the moon’s gravity could only be simulated for a few seconds at a time at NASA’s zero-gravity research facility using a centrifuge or for about 20 seconds during parabolic flights.
The spacecraft carried 30 science payloads, of which all except one were designed to test technology under lunar-like conditions. Most of the cargo belonged to NASA, which supported the mission as part of its Artemis campaign, preparing to send humans back to the moon in the future.
Jeff Bezos himself was a part of the NS-16 mission, marking the spacecraft’s first crewed flight in 2021. Prior to this milestone, the New Shepard had completed 15 crewless flights since 2012. Shortly following this achievement, Blue Origin successfully launched its colossal New Glenn rocket into space for the first time.
The New Glenn rocket, standing at an impressive 320 feet tall, took off without a crew from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on January 16. This launch aimed to position Blue Origin as a formidable competitor to SpaceX in the arena of deploying satellites and cargo into orbit on a regular basis. Named in honor of John Glenn, the pioneering American astronaut who was the first to orbit Earth, the New Glenn stands as a formidable rival to SpaceX’s towering 400-foot Starship.
Powered by seven Blue Origin engines known as BE-4, the first stage of the New Glenn rocket is designed to be reusable for up to 25 missions. This technological feat demonstrates Blue Origin’s commitment to sustainable space exploration practices. Eric Lagatta, a reputable journalist covering breaking and trending news for USA TODAY, can be reached at elagatta@gannett.com for more information.
The Blue Origin New Shepard launch showcased the spacecraft’s ability to mimic lunar gravity, hinting at the exciting advancements in space exploration that lie ahead.
