Tag: Blue Origin
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX launches 400th orbital flight; Blue Origin, China launch missions
Blue Origin tested its second human-rated New Shepard capsule this week, which had been delayed twice since the start of the month. The week has also seen two launches from China while a fourth flight of the Japanese H3 rocket carrying a communications satellite for the Japanese military has now been delayed until next week.…
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Blue Origin donates historic New Shepard booster and space capsule to Smithsonian
An artist’s conception shows how Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster, emblazoned with a faded feather, would be displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. (Smithsonian Illustration) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has donated a New Shepard rocket booster, plus a New Shepard capsule, to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The…
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New Glenn second stage completes hot fire test
Blue Origin has hot-fired the second stage of New Glenn for the first time, continuing to work toward its inaugural launch. Over the last year, the company has continued to lead New Glenn to its first flight and has confidently and rapidly pushed for a successful mission. The launch date is coming up in only…
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For the first time, Blue Origin has ignited an orbital rocket stage
Twenty days after it rolled out to Blue Origin’s launch site in Florida, the second stage of the massive New Glenn rocket underwent a successful hot-fire test on Monday. The second stage—known as GS2 for Glenn stage 2—ignited for 15 seconds as part of the “risk reduction” hot-fire test, the company said. The two BE-3U…
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Rocket Report: China leaps into rocket reuse; 19 people are currently in orbit
Welcome to Edition 7.11 of the Rocket Report! Outside of companies owned by American billionaires, the most imminent advancements in reusable rockets are coming from China’s quasi-commercial launch industry. This industry is no longer nascent. After initially relying on solid-fueled rocket motors apparently derived from Chinese military missiles, China’s privately funded launch firms are testing…
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Faced with a tight deadline, NASA and Blue Origin agree to delay New Glenn debut
NASA and Blue Origin announced Friday that they have agreed to delay the launch of the ESCAPADE mission to Mars until at least the spring of 2025. The decision to stand down from a launch attempt in mid-October was driven by a deadline to begin loading hypergolic propellant on the two small ESCAPADE (Escape and…
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Blue Origin shifts its plans for New Glenn rocket after NASA postpones Mars mission
Elements of the New Glenn rocket’s first stage are mated at Blue Origin’s factory in Florida. (Blue Origin Photo) NASA is delaying the launch of its ESCAPADE probes to Mars, which means plans for the debut of Blue Origin’s heavy-lift New Glenn rocket will change as well. New Glenn was previously due to send the…
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The New Glenn rocket’s second stage set to roll to the launch pad on Monday
Blue Origin plans to enter the final phase of its launch preparations for the New Glenn rocket on Monday by rolling the vehicle’s second stage to Launch Complex 36 in Florida. Pending weather and other final considerations, a rollout could occur as early as Monday afternoon. This is the flight version of the vehicle, with…
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Blue Origin sends six people on suborbital space trip, marking a first for researchers
Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster lands after a suborbital space launch. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture today provided a brief dose of spaceflight to six people, including the first researcher to conduct his own experiment on a suborbital space trip with NASA support. The team for Blue Origin’s eighth crewed…
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Polaris Dawn on hold; SpaceX booster fails on landing
Another busy week of spaceflight activities contained a landing failure of a Falcon 9 booster for the first time in over three years. Looking forward, Falcon 9 could launch up to three times this week, including three Starlink flights. Polaris Dawn’s launch date has been delayed due to an unacceptable weather forecast at the time…