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Blue Origin Lands Rocket During Launch Escape Test (gizmodo.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the space-flight dept.

SpaceX isn't the only private company interested in reusable rockets. Blue Origin, an American privately-funded aerospace manufacturer established by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, surprised everyone, including itself, by successfully landing its New Shepard rocket in today's in-flight launch escape test. Gizmodo reports: Moments ago, Blue Origin conducted an in flight test of its launch escape system, separating a crew capsule from its New Shepard booster at an altitude of 16,000 feet. This test was critical to ensure that the rocket will be safe for human passengers, whom Blue Origin hopes to start flying into sub-orbital space as early as next year. Not only did the crew capsule make a clean separation, deploy its parachutes, and land softly in a small cloud of dust back on Earth, but the booster -- which everybody expected to go splat -- continued on its merry way into suborbital space, after which it succeeded in landing smoothly back on Earth for a fifth time. Although Blue Origin has tested its launch escape system on the launchpad before, this is the first time such a system has been tested, by anyone, in flight since the 1960s. It was almost too perfect. You can watch the test here.

3 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Competition.... by Spy+Handler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They are not a competition for SpaceX since SpaceX does not do suborbital flights.

    Blue Origin's actual competition is Virgin Galactic, which is also trying to get paying passengers on 15-minute suborbital flights.

    The difference between a suborbital and an orbital flight is like the difference between a Schwinn bicycle and a Ford F-150 pickup truck.

  2. Re:So Space X is really just a bunch of idiots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No, they're not.
    But those who don't know the difference between what Blue Origin is trying to do and what SpaceX is already capable of are idiots.

  3. Re:What do you think of *that*, MUSK? by BradleyUffner · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He probably thinks that getting a rocket in to a stable orbit, delivering long term useful cargo, and then landing on a moving barge in the ocean is a LOT harder than shooting a rocket practically straight up and coming right back down to land.

    I think I agree with him.