{"id":10226,"date":"2023-12-19T22:11:55","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T14:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/blue-origin-launches-new-shepard-rocket-on-return-to-flight-mission\/"},"modified":"2023-12-19T22:11:55","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T14:11:55","slug":"blue-origin-launches-new-shepard-rocket-on-return-to-flight-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/blue-origin-launches-new-shepard-rocket-on-return-to-flight-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Origin launches New Shepard rocket on return to flight mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Blue Origin New Shepard rocket lifts off from the launch site in Van Horn, Texas, on the NS-24 mission. This was the first launch of a New Shepard rocket since the vehicle was grounded in the after math of the NS-23 anomaly. Image: Blue Origin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Updated 3:11 p.m. EST:<\/strong> Added comments and additional mission information from Blue Origin.<\/em><\/p>\n

Blue Origin appears to be back in the suborbital business. Under a mostly sunny west Texas sky, the company launched its New Shepard suborbital rocket at roughly 10:42 a.m. CST (1642 UTC). This marked the 24th flight of a New Shepard rocket.<\/p>\n

The launch was a big deal for Jeff Bezos\u2019 company since it marked the first time in about 15 months that they were able to launch their vehicle. During the Sept. 12, 2022 launch of the NS-23 mission, the engine nozzle suffered a structural failure, forcing the mission to end prematurely.<\/p>\n

The previously failed mission wasn\u2019t mentioned at any point either during the launch broadcast or in Blue Origin\u2019s social media posts about the NS-24 mission.<\/p>\n

Onboard the capsule that flew on Tuesday were 33 science payloads and 38,000 postcards for Blue Origin\u2019s non-profit, Club for the Future, which encourages young people to take up STEM careers.<\/p>\n

During the launch broadcast, Erika Wagner, Blue Origin\u2019s Senior Director of Emerging Market Development, said that this was the ninth flight of the booster. These booster are designed to fly up to 25 missions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think one of the most important things that\u2019s been happening in this new era of modern rocketry is that we\u2019ve learned how to launch, land and repeat,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been able to take these boosters and to fly them over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The New Shepard booster landing less than 7.5 minutes after liftoff on the NS-24 mission. Image: Blue Origin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The booster separated from the capsule around two minutes and 40 seconds into flight, at which point, the capsule began to experience microgravity for a few minutes. The capsule reached an apogee of 107 km MSL.<\/p>\n

Wagner noted that several of the experiments that were flying as payloads involved elements of fluid mechanics.<\/p>\n

One of the payloads that was highlighted was a prototype of the EagleCam CubeSat. The primary version of the spacecraft, created by faculty and students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, will be hosted onboard Intuitive Machines\u2019 Nova-C lunar lander, which is set to launch to the Moon no earlier than Jan. 12.<\/p>\n