Tag: Blue Origin
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Preparing for “Earth to Earth” space travel and a competition with supersonic airliners
Commercial spaceflight companies are preparing to enter a new market: suborbital flights from one place to another on Earth. Aiming for fast transportation for passengers and cargo, these systems are being developed by a combination of established companies, such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, and new ones like Astra. Technical and business challenges lie ahead…
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NASA adds Blue Origin’s upcoming New Glenn rocket to its launch services catalog
An artist’s conception shows the New Glenn rocket on its launch pad. (Blue Origin Illustration) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture hasn’t yet finished its orbital-class New Glenn rocket, but today NASA put it on the “on-ramp” for future missions. The NASA Launch Services II contract, or NLS II for short, essentially puts…
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Blue Origin’s team turns in its moon landing proposal — and provides a sneak peek
An artist’s conception shows the three main elements of the human landing system being proposed by a team led by Blue Origin. Northrop Grumman’s transfer element is at left, Blue Origin’s descent element is in the middle, and Lockheed Martin’s ascent element is at right. (Blue Origin Illustration) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin venture…
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Jeff Bezos shows off Blue Origin’s BE-7 engine — and makes a bold prediction
Blue Origin’s BE-7 rocket engine goes through a test firing. (Blue Origin Photo) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos heralded progress on the development of the rocket engine that’s destined for use on the lunar lander that his Blue Origin space venture is building — but he also offered a glimpse into his crystal ball for future…
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NASA agrees to purchase moon rocks for $1 in a deal that may involve Blue Origin
An artist’s conception shows the uncrewed cargo version of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lunar lander. (Blue Origin Illustration) NASA has selected four companies to collect material on the moon and store it up as the space agency’s property, for a total price of $25,001. And one deal stands out: a $1 purchase that may rely…
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Blue Origin and Aerojet get in on NASA partnerships for new space technologies
A researcher at Aerojet Rocketdyne examines a container of a low-toxicity propellant during preparation for flight testing. Aerojet’s Redmond facility will be involved in a follow-up project to develop a new kind of hybrid “green” propellant. (Aerojet Rocketdyne Photo) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture and Aerojet Rocketdyne’s operation in Redmond, Wash., are…
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Northrop Grumman updates Transfer Element portion of National Team lunar lander
In an interview with NASASpaceflight, Northrop Grumman’s Sally Richardson, Program Director, Human Landing System, provided key updates on the progress the company is making on its Transfer Element, part of a three-piece Human Landing System (HLS) lunar lander. Northrop Grumman is part of the National Team, also consisting of Blue Origin (project lead), Lockheed Martin,…
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Blue Origin completes successful suborbital space shot
Blue Origin’s 60-foot-tall New Shepard rocket takes off from West Texas on Tuesday. Credit: Blue Origin Blue Origin launched its New Shepard suborbital rocket to the edge of space Tuesday from the company’s remote desert test site in West Texas on an experimental flight to test precision lunar landing technology for NASA. The single-stage New…
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Blue Origin tests NASA landing system hardware on latest New Shepard flight
After a ten-month lull in flights following the previous test of Blue Origin’s suborbital New Shepard launch system, the company conducted a launch and landing of the fully reusable booster and capsule duo. Following weather-related and technical issues during a window late in September, the flight took place from the company’s West Texas facility —…
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Blue Origin’s suborbital spaceship tests NASA’s moon landing system in Texas
Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital spaceship rises from its West Texas pad. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Blue Origin’s suborbital spaceship today conducted a robotic rehearsal for a future touchdown on the moon — and by all appearances, it stuck the landing. Testing most of the elements of NASA’s precision lunar landing system was the top…