Out of the blue: Jeff Bezos’ space flight takes off successfully

This Tuesday, from Texas (USA), the New Shepard rocket is scheduled to launch, part of Blue Origin’s space mission, through which American billionaire Jeff Bezos seeks to take paying customers on short trips to the edge of space. (Read: A cat stars in NASA’s first Ultra HD video from deep space)

The initial launch was scheduled for this Monday, December 18, but that was postponed due to “problems with ground systems,” as the company said in its X account. This Tuesday, in a new attempt, the rocket took off successfully and its main engine, which is reusable, was suspended in space for at least eight minutes before returning to Earth.

Seven minutes after launch, the booster rocket touched down, followed by the NS-24 unmanned mission capsule containing the science supplies, which returned safely to Earth. The test, the company explained, “is essential to the company’s resumption of space tourism, which has already allowed 31 people to spend minutes beyond the confines of Earth’s atmosphere.”

The test comes after a reported accident in September 2022, when the rocket’s propulsion module, which was not carrying passengers, fell off. As a result of this situation, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched an investigation, at which time it concluded that the accident was caused by “higher-than-expected engine nozzle temperatures”.

The company has asked the airline to make some changes to resume flights. One of these variations is changing the design of some mechanical components. (You may also read: Science Events The World Will See In 2024)

The Blue Origin rocket is reusable, as are the booster, capsule, engine, landing gear and parachutes. Its engine runs on liquid oxygen and hydrogen, meaning that the only byproduct is steam, with no carbon emissions during flight.

The company is developing the New Glenn, a heavy commercial rocket, with a first flight scheduled for next year. It is designed to carry payloads weighing 45 metric tons into low Earth orbit. (You may be interested: Mesopotamian bricks reveal a magnetic anomaly on Earth 3,000 years ago)

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