Blue Origin, a space exploration company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, launched its 14th sub-orbital flight of a New Shepard spacecraft Thursday, using its reusable rocket to boost an unmanned crew capsule to the edge of space This mission was to test accommodations, cockpit displays and other systems for upcoming crewed flights. Its hydrogen-fueled BE-3 rocket engine ignited with a burst of flame at 12:17 p.m. EST from Launch Site One at Blue Origin’s west Texas flight test facility. Read more for the launch video and additional information.
After takeoff, it reached a maximum velocity of 2,242 mph before releasing the crew capsule two minutes and forty seconds after liftoff. The spacecraft then reached an altitude of 66.4 miles (350,827 feet) before its descent back to Earth. Once near the landing pad, the booster restarted its engine at the last moment to slow down for a somewhat soft landing. The total mission duration from launch to touchdown: 10 minutes and 15 seconds.
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The upgrades include improvements to environmental features such as acoustics and temperature regulation inside the capsule, crew display panels and speakers with a microphone and push-to-talk button at each seat. The mission will also test a number of astronaut communication and safety alert systems,” said the team.
