{"id":18549,"date":"2018-04-29T21:28:35","date_gmt":"2018-04-29T13:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-venture-sends-its-new-shepard-spaceship-to-new-heights\/"},"modified":"2018-04-29T21:28:35","modified_gmt":"2018-04-29T13:28:35","slug":"jeff-bezos-blue-origin-venture-sends-its-new-shepard-spaceship-to-new-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-venture-sends-its-new-shepard-spaceship-to-new-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin venture sends its New Shepard spaceship to new heights"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_415992\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-415992\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-415992\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue-launch-630x494.jpg\" alt=\"New Shepard launch\" width=\"630\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue-launch-630x494.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue-launch-768x602.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue-launch.jpg 1236w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-415992\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard suborbital spaceship, dubbed RSS H.G. Wells, blasts off from its West Texas launch pad. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture notched another record today when it sent its New Shepard suborbital spaceship on its highest-ever round trip to space.<\/p>\n<p>It was the eighth uncrewed test flight for the New Shepard program, and the second go-around for this particular spaceship, which is dubbed RSS H.G. Wells in honor of the English science-fiction writer and futurist.<\/p>\n<p>RSS H.G. Wells flew for first time last December, and was refurbished in line with Blue Origin\u2019s strategy for rocket reusability. On that flight, the craft rose to a height of 99.39 kilometers, just shy of the 100-kilometer Karman Line that defines the internationally accepted boundary of outer space.<\/p>\n<p>The target altitude for this flight was a record-setting 106.7 kilometers, or 350,000 feet. After today\u2019s picture-perfect launch and landing, Bezos reported in a tweet that the craft reached 351,000 feet (107 kilometers).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the altitude we\u2019ve been targeting for operations,\u201d he said. \u201cOne step closer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=990755397542723584&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2018%2Fjeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-venture-sends-new-shepard-spaceship-new-heights%2F&amp;sessionId=fd66e06d41a272c7e7c7ef510dfaee125600c084&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"990755397542723584\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782801179869545837=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Highlights from today\u2019s mission. Don\u2019t miss the Nerf ball doing a few backflips in zero gravity. #GradatimFerociter @BlueOrigin pic.twitter.com\/YxlJRt0MXc<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) April 30, 2018<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A test dummy nicknamed Mannequin Skywalker was placed in one of the crew capsule\u2019s six seats for the purposes of collecting flight data, just as it was for December\u2019s flight.<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff from Blue Origin\u2019s suborbital launch facility in West Texas was delayed for more than three hours, in part due to weather. \u201cMother Nature threw us a couple of thunderstorms,\u201d webcast commentator Ariane Cornell explained.<\/p>\n<p>Equipment checks added to the countdown holds. But once New Shepard\u2019s booster lit up at 12:06 p.m. CT (10:06 a.m. PT), things escalated quickly.<\/p>\n<p>During a 10-minute flight, the booster sent the capsule straight upward into partly cloudy skies at supersonic speeds, separated, coasted to its apogee and then plummeted back toward the ground.<\/p>\n<p>Under autonomous control, the booster maneuvered its air brakes and relit its hydrogen-fueled BE-3 rocket engine to slow its speed. A double sonic boom heralded its approach, and the booster set down smoothly on its landing legs in the designated landing area.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_416008\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-416008\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-416008\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue1-630x505.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Origin booster touchdown\" width=\"630\" height=\"505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue1-630x505.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue1-768x615.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue1-1260x1009.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue1.jpg 1347w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-416008\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Blue Origin\u2019s rocket booster touches down at the end of an uncrewed test flight. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile, the capsule floated down at the end of three parachutes and set down in the desert with a retro-cushioned floomph.<\/p>\n<p>Scientific payloads were flown in the capsule for NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center and German research teams. Yet another payload, provided by New Mexico-based Solstar, was aimed at testing a Wi-Fi system that could be used by suborbital spacefliers.<\/p>\n<p>For now, however, Mannequin Skywalker was the only one filling a seat. The current round of uncrewed flight tests is aimed at clearing the way for Blue Origin\u2019s test astronauts to start taking their turns around the end of this year or early next year.<\/p>\n<p>Paying passengers \u2014 including tourists as well as researchers \u2014 will eventually climb aboard the autonomously piloted spaceship. But Blue Origin hasn\u2019t yet set a ticket price or taken customer reservations for those crewed flights.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin is building on its experience with the New Shepard suborbital program as it proceeds with its New Glenn orbital program, which could start flying as early as 2020. The New Glenn\u2019s mainstay BE-4 rocket engine is currently being produced at the company\u2019s headquarters in Kent, Wash., and undergoing tests at the West Texas facility.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_416010\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-416010\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-416010\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue-touch-630x501.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Origin capsule touchdown\" width=\"630\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue-touch-630x501.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/180429-blue-touch.jpg 693w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-416010\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The New Shepard crew capsule fires retro rockets as it touches down. The only \u201ccrew\u201d in the capsule for this test flight was an instrument-laden dummy nicknamed Mannequin Skywalker. (Blue Origin via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Once the BE-4 passes muster, Blue Origin plans to ramp up engine production at a new facility in Alabama, and integrate the engines with New Glenn rockets at its mammoth Florida factory.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Origin is taking a slower approach to spaceflight development than that pursued by SpaceX. But the approach is no less steady: Bezos is devoting billions of dollars\u2019 worth of his personal riches to Blue Origin, in line with his vision of having millions of people living and working in space.<\/p>\n<p>Last week in Berlin, he said his space venture is \u201cthe most important work that I\u2019m doing,\u201d even though he acknowledged it may be up to his great-grandchildren\u2019s great-grandchildren to see his vision fully realized.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard suborbital spaceship, dubbed RSS H.G. Wells, blasts off from its West Texas launch pad. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture notched another record today when it sent its New Shepard suborbital spaceship on its highest-ever round trip to space. It was the eighth uncrewed test [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[509,291,1046,1250,493],"class_list":["post-18549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-blue-origin","tag-commercial-space","tag-jeff-bezos","tag-new-shepard","tag-space-tourism"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18549"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18549\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}