Tag: Blue Origin
-
Blue Origin unveils ‘Blue Ring,’ a multi-use space platform to aid missions to Earth orbit and beyond
A not-to-scale rendering of Blue Origin’s Blue Ring in space. (Blue Origin Image) Blue Origin unveiled plans for a new spacecraft platform designed to serve as a multi-use, multi-mission way station providing services that span hosting, transportation, refueling, data relay, logistics, and more. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Kent, Wash.-based space venture is calling the platform…
-
Rocket Report: Iran launches satellite; Artemis II boosters get train ride
Welcome to Edition 6.13 of the Rocket Report! While SpaceX waits for regulatory approval to launch the second full-scale test flight of its Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket, NASA’s contractors took two steps forward this week to prepare for the second launch of the government-owned Space Launch System on the Artemis II mission, which…
-
FAA closes investigation into Blue Origin’s launch mishap; flights could resume ‘soon’
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship sits on its pad in advance of its launch in September 2022. (Blue Origin via YouTube) The Federal Aviation Administration says that it’s closed its investigation of last year’s mishap involving Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket ship, but that Jeff Bezos’ space venture isn’t yet cleared to resume…
-
Jeff Bezos finally got rid of Bob Smith at Blue Origin
After six years of running Blue Origin, Bob Smith announced in a company-wide email on Monday that he will be “stepping aside” as chief executive of the space company founded by Jeff Bezos. “It has been my privilege to be part of this great team, and I am confident that Blue Origin’s greatest achievements are…
-
Departing Amazon exec Dave Limp will become CEO at Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture
Blue Origin’s next CEO, Dave Limp, speaks at 2019’s GeekWire Summit. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota) Blue Origin has confirmed that Dave Limp, who is leaving his post as Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, will take over as the CEO of Jeff Bezos’ privately held space venture. The current CEO, longtime aerospace…
-
Blue Origin preparing for New Glenn testing at LC-36 ahead of maiden flight
Over the past few months, Blue Origin has continued making progress towards the maiden launch of its orbital class rocket, New Glenn. The company has continued testing systems at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36), and recently submitted plans for a refurbishment facility near the Cape Canaveral Skid Strip, expanding Blue Origin’s already impressive spread of installations…
-
A year after New Shepard’s accident, Blue Origin may return to flight next month
One year ago today, a Blue Origin-built rocket carrying a spacecraft exploded above the West Texas desert in dramatic fashion. There were no passengers aboard the New Shepard capsule, which was able to push powerfully away from the rocket with its escape system and land safely under a parachute in the desert. The failure of…
-
Employees report a rare round of layoffs at Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture
The marquee of Blue Origin’s HQ in Kent, Wash., glows on a rainy morning. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) Several employees at Kent, Wash.-based Blue Origin are reporting that they’ve been laid off, marking a rare turnabout in the rapid growth of Jeff Bezos’ space venture. The reduction in force appears to be focused in…
-
Pension fund’s lawsuit questions Amazon’s decisions on Kuiper satellite launch deal
Amazon plans to have satellites sent into orbit by (from left) United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan-Centaur rockets, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets and Arianespace’s Ariane rockets. ULA’s Atlas V rockets are also in the mix — but not SpaceX’s rockets, at least for now. (Amazon Illustration) An Ohio-based pension fund has filed a lawsuit alleging that…
-
A nearly 20-year ban on human spaceflight regulations is set to expire
In 2004, Congress passed a law that established a moratorium on federal safety regulations for commercial astronauts and space tourists riding to space on new privately owned rockets and spacecraft. The idea was to allow time for new space companies to establish themselves before falling under the burden of regulations, an eventuality that spaceflight startups…