Jeff Bezoz - Spaceflight
system whereas other sources say it’s retro rockets (which is what Soyuz uses), be interesting to know what’s actually used.
FWIW the answer (as far as it goes) is tucked away on the Blue Origin website and was a phrase used pretty much verbatim by the official commentator on the day..
“ The bottom of the capsule has a retro-thrust system that expels a pillow of air so the capsule lands at just 1.6 km/h (1 mph) ”…
so unlike Soyuz it’s not a pyrotechnic system, which would explain the lack of flames, smoke, and relative lack of dust.
“ The bottom of the capsule has a retro-thrust system that expels a pillow of air so the capsule lands at just 1.6 km/h (1 mph) ”…
so unlike Soyuz it’s not a pyrotechnic system, which would explain the lack of flames, smoke, and relative lack of dust.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/09/1...-ns-23-launch/
Blue Origin capsule escapes rocket failure on uncrewed flight over Texas
The suborbital rocket developed by Jeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin suffered its first launch failure Monday, when the main engine on the New Shepard booster appeared to cut out about a minute after liftoff from West Texas. The crew capsule, which carried NASA-funded experiments but no people, safely landed under parachutes after firing an abort motor to escape the stricken booster.
The unplanned in-flight abort saved the company’s reusable capsule, and the mission’s experiment payloads stowed inside. But one of Blue Origin’s two operational suborbital New Shepard boosters, which hosted its own research payloads, was lost in the launch failure.
Blue Origin’s live webcast showed the rocket lifting off from the company’s sprawling 80,000-acre launch facility north of Van Horn, Texas, around 10:26 a.m. EDT (9:26 a.m. CDT; 1426 GMT), after a nearly hour-long delay.
A single hydrogen-fueled BE-3 engine powered the 60-foot-tall (18-meter) booster off the launch pad. About a minute after liftoff, as the rocket neared supersonic speed, the plume from the BE-3 engine appeared to change color and shape, then the powerplant appeared to shut down, causing the rocket to tilt off its planned trajectory at an altitude of around 28,000 feet (8,500 meters).
The solid-fueled abort motor on bottom of the crew capsule fired immediately, delivering an instant pulse of 70,000 pounds of thrust to push the craft away from the failing rocket.
The four-ton capsule spun around and tumbled after the abort motor’s brief firing, which propelled the vehicle hundreds of feet away from the New Shepard rocket. Guided by reaction control system thrusters, the capsule’s motion stabilized as it deployed three drogue parachutes and three main chutes for a relatively gentle ride back to the ground. The capsule was designed to touch down at a speed of around 3 mph (5 kilometers per hour).
Blue Origin capsule escapes rocket failure on uncrewed flight over Texas
The suborbital rocket developed by Jeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin suffered its first launch failure Monday, when the main engine on the New Shepard booster appeared to cut out about a minute after liftoff from West Texas. The crew capsule, which carried NASA-funded experiments but no people, safely landed under parachutes after firing an abort motor to escape the stricken booster.
The unplanned in-flight abort saved the company’s reusable capsule, and the mission’s experiment payloads stowed inside. But one of Blue Origin’s two operational suborbital New Shepard boosters, which hosted its own research payloads, was lost in the launch failure.
Blue Origin’s live webcast showed the rocket lifting off from the company’s sprawling 80,000-acre launch facility north of Van Horn, Texas, around 10:26 a.m. EDT (9:26 a.m. CDT; 1426 GMT), after a nearly hour-long delay.
A single hydrogen-fueled BE-3 engine powered the 60-foot-tall (18-meter) booster off the launch pad. About a minute after liftoff, as the rocket neared supersonic speed, the plume from the BE-3 engine appeared to change color and shape, then the powerplant appeared to shut down, causing the rocket to tilt off its planned trajectory at an altitude of around 28,000 feet (8,500 meters).
The solid-fueled abort motor on bottom of the crew capsule fired immediately, delivering an instant pulse of 70,000 pounds of thrust to push the craft away from the failing rocket.
The four-ton capsule spun around and tumbled after the abort motor’s brief firing, which propelled the vehicle hundreds of feet away from the New Shepard rocket. Guided by reaction control system thrusters, the capsule’s motion stabilized as it deployed three drogue parachutes and three main chutes for a relatively gentle ride back to the ground. The capsule was designed to touch down at a speed of around 3 mph (5 kilometers per hour).
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/05/1...nder-contract/
NASA awards Blue Origin $3.4 billion Artemis moon lander contract
Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, has won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build an Artemis lunar lander that will provide a downstream alternative to the Starship variant already being developed by SpaceX, the agency announced Friday.
“We are going to the Moon! Honored to be on this journey with @nasa to land astronauts on the Moon — this time to stay,” Bezos said in an Instagram post.
John Couluris, Blue Origin vice president for lunar transportation, said the company expects to chip in “well north” of the contract value to fully develop its “Blue Moon” lander, pushing the total cost of the project to around $7 billion. The first piloted landing, part of the fifth Artemis mission, is expected in the 2029 timeframe.
“On behalf of Blue Origin and the national team, I want to thank NASA personally,” Couluris said. “We’re very honored and humbled to be part of this incredible experience. We’re looking forward to participating on Artemis 5, and we’re looking forward to working together.”
Blue Origin’s national team includes Lockheed Martin, which will provide a refueling and servicing spacecraft; Boeing, which will supply docking technology; Draper, supplying guidance, navigation and simulator technology; Astrobotic Technology, with expertise in payload accommodations; and Honeybee Robotics to handle cargo delivery systems.
The contract requires Blue Origin to fly an unpiloted dress-rehearsal landing before astronauts float aboard and descend to the lunar surface during the Artemis 5 mission. That flight will follow the initial Artemis 3 moon landing, using SpaceX’s lander, in the 2025-26 timeframe.…
NASA awards Blue Origin $3.4 billion Artemis moon lander contract
Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, has won a $3.4 billion NASA contract to build an Artemis lunar lander that will provide a downstream alternative to the Starship variant already being developed by SpaceX, the agency announced Friday.
“We are going to the Moon! Honored to be on this journey with @nasa to land astronauts on the Moon — this time to stay,” Bezos said in an Instagram post.
John Couluris, Blue Origin vice president for lunar transportation, said the company expects to chip in “well north” of the contract value to fully develop its “Blue Moon” lander, pushing the total cost of the project to around $7 billion. The first piloted landing, part of the fifth Artemis mission, is expected in the 2029 timeframe.
“On behalf of Blue Origin and the national team, I want to thank NASA personally,” Couluris said. “We’re very honored and humbled to be part of this incredible experience. We’re looking forward to participating on Artemis 5, and we’re looking forward to working together.”
Blue Origin’s national team includes Lockheed Martin, which will provide a refueling and servicing spacecraft; Boeing, which will supply docking technology; Draper, supplying guidance, navigation and simulator technology; Astrobotic Technology, with expertise in payload accommodations; and Honeybee Robotics to handle cargo delivery systems.
The contract requires Blue Origin to fly an unpiloted dress-rehearsal landing before astronauts float aboard and descend to the lunar surface during the Artemis 5 mission. That flight will follow the initial Artemis 3 moon landing, using SpaceX’s lander, in the 2025-26 timeframe.…
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
FAA Statement on closure to the New Shepard mishap investigation:
"The FAA has closed the Blue Origin New Shepard 23 mishap investigation. The final report cites the proximate cause of the Sept. 12, 2022, mishap as the structural failure of an engine nozzle caused by higher-than-expected engine operating temperatures. The FAA required Blue Origin implement 21 corrective actions to prevent mishap reoccurrence, including redesign of engine and nozzle components to improve structural performance during operation as well as organizational changes.
During the mishap the onboard launch vehicle systems detected the anomaly, triggered an abort and separation of the capsule from the propulsion module as intended and shut down the engine. The capsule landed safety and the propulsion module was destroyed upon impact with the ground. All debris landed within the designated hazard area. Public safety was maintained at all times with no injuries or public property damage."
Addition notes on the FAA e-mail:
The closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of New Shepard launches. Blue Origin must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and receive a license modification from the FAA that addresses all safety and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next New Shepard launch.
Background:
The FAA oversaw the Blue Origin-led investigation to ensure the company complied with its FAA-approved mishap plan, the terms and conditions of its license and other regulatory requirements.
The FAA was involved in every step of the mishap investigation and granted NASA and the National Transportation Safety Board official observer status.
The mishap investigation report contains proprietary data and U.S Export Control information and is not available for public release.
"The FAA has closed the Blue Origin New Shepard 23 mishap investigation. The final report cites the proximate cause of the Sept. 12, 2022, mishap as the structural failure of an engine nozzle caused by higher-than-expected engine operating temperatures. The FAA required Blue Origin implement 21 corrective actions to prevent mishap reoccurrence, including redesign of engine and nozzle components to improve structural performance during operation as well as organizational changes.
During the mishap the onboard launch vehicle systems detected the anomaly, triggered an abort and separation of the capsule from the propulsion module as intended and shut down the engine. The capsule landed safety and the propulsion module was destroyed upon impact with the ground. All debris landed within the designated hazard area. Public safety was maintained at all times with no injuries or public property damage."
Addition notes on the FAA e-mail:
The closure of the mishap investigation does not signal an immediate resumption of New Shepard launches. Blue Origin must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and receive a license modification from the FAA that addresses all safety and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next New Shepard launch.
Background:
The FAA oversaw the Blue Origin-led investigation to ensure the company complied with its FAA-approved mishap plan, the terms and conditions of its license and other regulatory requirements.
The FAA was involved in every step of the mishap investigation and granted NASA and the National Transportation Safety Board official observer status.
The mishap investigation report contains proprietary data and U.S Export Control information and is not available for public release.
