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Published -
- March 11, 2020
- 9:10 am
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket Launch
Blue Origin’s NS-12 mission and its New Shepard rocket launched and landed on Dec. 11, 2019.
On December 11, 2019, Blue Origin, the space exploration company founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, achieved yet another milestone in space exploration with the successful launch and landing of its New Shepard rocket on the NS-12 mission.
The New Shepard rocket is designed to carry passengers and payloads for suborbital space tourism and scientific research. It consists of a reusable booster rocket and a crew capsule that can accommodate up to six people. The rocket is named after Alan Shepard, the first American to enter space.
The NS-12 mission was the sixth flight for this particular booster rocket, and the fourth flight for the crew capsule. The mission was carrying payloads for various customers, including NASA, and the University of Florida. The rocket launched from Blue Origin’s launch facility in West Texas at a scheduled time of 12:53 pm Eastern Standard Time.
The launch was a success, with the rocket reaching an altitude of over 100 km, which is commonly known as the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The crew capsule experienced several minutes of weightlessness, allowing scientists to conduct experiments in microgravity. After separation from the booster, the crew capsule parachuted safely back to Earth.
The most significant achievement of this mission was the successful landing of the booster rocket. As the rocket descended back to Earth, it deployed its parachutes and fired its engines to slow down before landing vertically on the launchpad. This marks the fourth consecutive successful landing of the New Shepard rocket, a testament to Blue Origin’s commitment to reusable space technology.
The NS-12 mission marks an exciting time for Blue Origin, as the company plans to begin crewed flights in the near future. The company has already signed up several passengers for suborbital space tourism, with ticket prices reportedly selling for millions of dollars.
The successful launch and landing of the New Shepard rocket on the NS-12 mission are a testament to Blue Origin’s commitment to reusable space technology and advancing the space industry. With exciting projects such as the crewed missions, the company is sure to continue making waves in the space exploration sector.
