Jump to content

New Shepard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from New Shepard 3)

New Shepard
New Shepard rocket on display at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2017
FunctionLaunching tourists and cargo on a suborbital trajectory
ManufacturerBlue Origin
Country of originUnited States of America
Size
Height19.2m (63ft)
Diameter3.8 m (12.5 ft)
Mass75,000 kg (165,000 lb)
Stages1
Launch history
StatusActive
Launch sitesLaunch Site One
Total launches27
Success(es)26
Failure(s)1
Landings25
First flight29 April 2015; 9 years ago (29 April 2015)
Last flight23 October 2024
Single stage
Powered by1 × BE-3
Maximum thrust490 kN (110,000 lbf)
Burn time141 seconds
PropellantLH2 / LOX
[edit on Wikidata]

New Shepard is a fully reusable sub-orbital launch vehicle developed for space tourism by Blue Origin. The vehicle is named after Alan Shepard, who became the first American to travel into space and the fifth person to walk on the Moon. The vehicle is capable of vertical takeoff and landings. Additionally, it is also capable of carrying humans and customer payloads into a sub-orbital trajectory.

New Shepard consists of a launch rocket and a crew capsule. The capsule can be configured to house up to six passengers, cargo, or a combination of both. The launch rocket is powered by one BE-3PM engine, which sends the capsule above the Kármán line, where passengers and cargo can experience a few minutes of weightlessness before the capsule returns to Earth.

The launch vehicle is designed to be fully reusable, with the capsule returning to Earth via three parachutes and a solid rocket motor. The rocket lands vertically on a landing pad 3.2 km north of the launch pad. The company has successfully launched and landed the New Shepard launch vehicle 26 times with 1 partial failure deemed successful[1] and 1 failure. The launch vehicle has a length of 19.2 meters (63 ft), a diameter of 3.8 meters (12 ft) and a launch mass of 75,000 kilograms (165,000 lb). The BE-3PM engine produces 490 kilonewtons (110,000 lbf) of thrust at liftoff.[2]

History

[edit]
Timeline of Space­Ship­One, Space­Ship­Two, CSXT and New Shepard sub-orbital flights. Where booster and capsule achieved different altitudes, the higher is plotted. In the SVG file, hover over a point to show details.

The first development vehicle of the New Shepard development program was a sub-scale demonstration vehicle named Goddard that was built in 2006 following earlier engine development efforts by Blue Origin. Goddard was assembled at the Blue Origin facility in Kent, Washington, United States and made its first flight on 13 November 2006.[3] A second test flight was scheduled for 2 December, but never took place.[citation needed]

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, two further flights were performed by Goddard. Blue Engine 1, or BE-1, was the first rocket engine developed by Blue Origin and was used in the company's Goddard development vehicle. On the path to developing the New Shepard launch vehicle, a crew capsule was also needed, and design was begun on a space capsule in the early 2000s. One development milestone along the way became public. On 19 October 2012, Blue Origin conducted a successful pad escape of a full-scale suborbital crew capsule at its West Texas launch site. For the test, the capsule fired its pusher escape motor and launched from a launch vehicle simulator. The Crew Capsule traveled to an altitude of 703 m (2,307 ft) under active thrust vector control before descending safely by parachute to a soft landing 500 m (1,630 ft) downrange.[4][5]

In April 2015, Blue Origin announced that they had completed acceptance testing of the BE-3PM engine that would power the New Shepard launch vehicle. The company also announced that they intended to begin flight testing of the New Shepard later in 2015, with initial flights occurring as frequently as monthly, with "a series of dozens of flights over the extent of the sub-orbital test program [taking] a couple of years to complete".[6] The same month, the FAA announced that the regulatory paperwork for the test program had already been filed and approved, and test flights were expected to begin before mid-May 2015.[7] By February 2016, three New Shepard vehicles had been built. The first was lost in a test in April 2015, the second had flown twice (see below), and the third was completing manufacture at the Blue Origin factory in Kent, Washington, United States. In 2016, the Blue Origin team were awarded the Collier Trophy for demonstrating rocket reusability with the New Shepard human spaceflight vehicle.[8]

On 20 July 2021, the company successfully completed its first crewed mission, Blue Origin NS-16, into space using its New Shepard launch vehicle, carrying passengers Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen. The flight was approximately 10 minutes and crossed the Kármán line. New Shepard performed six crewed flights between July 2021 and August 2022, taking a mix of sponsored celebrities such as Wally Funk, William Shatner as well as paying customers. New Shepard ticket sales brought in $50 million through June 2022. The second and third crewed missions of New Shepard took place in October and December 2021. The Fourth crewed flight happened in March 2022. On 4 June 2022, New Shepard completed its fifth crewed mission launch and the sixth crewed flight took place on 4 August 2022. In September 2022, an uncrewed mission of the New Shepard had an anomaly due to a failure of the BE-3PM main engine. The launch escape system triggered and the capsule landed safely. The remaining New Shepard launch vehicles were grounded pending an FAA investigation into the incident. After a six-month investigation, Blue Origin pinpointed the cause of the anomaly as a thermal-structure failure of the BE-3PM engine nozzle caused a thrust misalignment that triggered the capsule's emergency escape system to activate. Blue Origin said in its press release that New Shepard flights would resume as soon as possible.

The return to flight mission happened on 19 December 2023.

New Shepard vehicles

[edit]
The New Shepard Crew Capsule after a successful sub-orbital space flight.

New Shepard propulsion modules

[edit]

As of 2024, there have been 5 propulsion modules built to date. They are: NS1, NS2, NS3, NS4, NS5.

New Shepard 1

[edit]

The first flight of the full-scale New Shepard vehicle was NS1,[9] also called "Tail 1"[10] and was conducted on 29 April 2015 during which an altitude of 93.5 km (58.1 mi) was attained. While the test flight itself was deemed a success, and the capsule was successfully recovered via parachute landing, the rocket crash landed and was not recovered due to a failure of hydraulic pressure in the vehicle control system during descent.[11][12] The capsule was called RSS Jules Verne.[13]

New Shepard 2

[edit]

The New Shepard 2 (NS2), also called "Tail 2",[10] flight test article propulsion module made five successful flights in 2015 and 2016, being retired after its fifth flight in October 2016.

New Shepard 3

[edit]

New Shepard 3 (NS3), also called "Tail 3",[10] along with capsule RSS H. G. Wells,[14] was modified for increased reusability and improved thermal protection; it included a redesigned propulsion module and the inclusion of new access panels for more rapid servicing and improved thermal protection. NS3 was the third propulsion module built. It was completed and shipped to the launch site by September 2017,[15] although parts of it had been built as early as March 2016.[9] Flight tests began in 2017 and continued into 2019.[16] The new Crew Capsule 2.0, featuring windows, was integrated to the NS3.[15] NS3 was only ever be used to fly cargo; no passengers were carried (as was originally planned for NS3).[17]

Its initial flight test occurred on 12 December 2017.[18] This was the first flight flown under the regulatory regime of a launch license granted by the FAA. Previous test flights had flown under an experimental permit, which did not allow Blue Origin to carry cargo for which it was paid for commercially. This made the flight of NS3 the first revenue flight for payloads, and it carried 12 experiments on the flight, as well as a test dummy given the moniker "Mannequin Skywalker."[19]

Since the maiden flight, "Blue Origin has been making updates to the vehicle ... intended primarily to improve operability rather than performance or reliability. Those upgrades took longer than expected" leading to a several-month gap in test flights.[16] The second test flight took place on 29 April 2018.[20] The 10th overall New Shepard flight, and the fourth NS3 flight, had originally been planned for December 2018, but was delayed due to "ground infrastructure issues." Following a diagnostics of the initial issue, Blue Origin rescheduled the launch for early 2019, after discovering "additional systems" that needed repairs as well.[21] The flight launched on 23 January 2019 and successfully flew to space with a maximum altitude of 106.9 km (66.4 mi).[22] It has been used to test SPLICE ("Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution"), a NASA lunar landing technology demonstration, on two separate flights in October 2020 (NS-13) and August 2021 (NS-17).[23]

New Shepard 3 rocket was destroyed during the NS-23 mission once it impacted the ground on 12 September 2022 after a rocket engine anomaly led to the activation of the in-flight abort system. The capsule made a successful landing under parachutes.[24] This was the ninth flight of NS3, and the flight was not carrying any people on board.[25][26]

New Shepard 4

[edit]

New Shepard 4 (NS4), also called "Tail 4",[10] which flies with capsule RSS First Step, was the fourth propulsion module to be built and the first to carry human passengers. Bezos himself was a passenger.[27] The vehicle was manufactured in 2018 and moved to the Blue Origin West Texas launch facility in December 2019.[28] The uncrewed maiden launch of NS4 occurred on 14 January 2021.[29] NS4 was successfully launched on 20 July 2021, with four passengers; Jeff Bezos was aboard this maiden crewed flight. On 13 October 2021, NS4 successfully launched and landed, carrying four passengers, including notable passenger William Shatner.[30] On 11 December 2021, Blue Origin NS-19 successfully launched into space. This was the first time New Shepard carried six passengers, the full design passenger complement. In October 2024, National Air and Space Museum announced that Blue Origin had donated NS4 to be displayed in the museum. [31]

New Shepard 5

[edit]

New Shepard 5 (NS5), which flies with capsule RSS Kármán Line, is Blue Origin's second crew-rated propulsion module. Manufactured to meet growing demand for New Shepard flights, it debuted on the NS-27 uncrewed flight, which flew on 23 October 2024 following aborted launch attempts on 7 October 2024 and 13 October 2024.[32][33]

New Shepard capsules

[edit]

As of 2024, there have been 4 New Shepard capsules built to date. They are: RSS Jules Verne, RSS H. G. Wells, RSS First Step, RSS Karman Line.

Crewed flights

[edit]
  1. Blue Origin commenced the first flight carrying passengers on the 16th flight of New Shepard (NS-16) on 20 July 2021.[34] One commercial seat was auctioned on 12 June 2021 for $28 million, with the proceeds going to Blue Origin's foundation Club for the Future, which promotes STEM careers. Due to scheduling problems, the auction winner did not participate in the flight and was rescheduled for a later flight. The passengers aboard were Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, Wally Funk and Oliver Daemen. At 82, Funk was the oldest, and at 18, Daemen was the youngest person to travel into space.[35][36][37] Daemen's seat was paid for by his father Joes Daemen, who secured the seat as the second-highest bidder after the original auction winner withdrew, making Oliver Daemen the first commercial passenger (i.e. passenger whose flight was paid for from outside the Blue Origin company (and not by Jeff Bezos)) of New Shepard.[38][39][40] On December 22, 2021, the $28 million mystery auction winner was revealed to be Justin Sun, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur. Sun's bid was donated to Club for the Future, which distributed most funds to other space-related nonprofit organizations. Sun arranged with Blue Origin to purchase a dedicated New Shepard flight in late 2022, where he would choose five passengers to accompany him.[41] As of August 2024 and after 8 crewed flights, Sun has not gone to space.
  2. The 2nd crewed flight, NS-18, took place on 13 October 2021, carrying four passengers, two of whom were paying passengers. The flight included William Shatner who flew as a guest of Blue Origin (i.e., he did not pay for his flight).[30]
  3. The 3rd crewed flight, NS-19, successfully launched into space on 11 December 2021. The ship's passengers included NFL legend and television personality Michael Strahan and Alan Shepard's daughter Laura Shepard Churchley as "guests" of Blue Origin (i.e., they did not pay for their flights), and four other people who were paying passengers.[42]
  4. The 4th crewed flight, NS-20, flew successfully on 31 March 2022. Onboard was Gary Lai, a Blue Origin employee and five paying passengers. This was the first flight with no celebrity passengers.[43][44]
  5. The 5th crewed flight, NS-21, flew successfully on 4 June 2022. Onboard was educational YouTuber Katya Echazarreta, whose flight had been partly sponsored by Blue Origin, and partly by other sources, and five other paying passengers (it could be that it has been mistakenly claimed that Echazarreta's flight was sponsored by Blue Origin and instead it was fully sponsored by Space for Humanity, a nonprofit organization[45]). Also onboard was Blue Origin's first repeat customer for New Shepard launches, Evan Dick.
  6. The 6th crewed flight, NS-22, took place 4 August 2022. Among the passengers was Coby Cotton, one of the founders of the popular YouTube channel Dude Perfect. His flight was paid for by the organization MoonDAO, which works in cryptocurrency to "decentralize access to space", and bought two seats from Blue Origin. One of the seats was used by Cotton and one to be used in the future by Kejun Yan (in the NS-26 mission Eiman Jahangir's flight was sponsored by MoonDAO[46]).[47] It was reported that MoonDAO had paid about $2.5 million for the two seats on Blue Origin flights, or $1.25 million per seat. This is the first public figure available for the price to ride a Blue Origin rocket to suborbital space (not counting the $28 million winning bid in the auction for a seat on the first flight).[48] However, Blue Origin tailors the price individually to each passenger, so it is hard to define the "ticket price" for New Shepard.[45] This was the first flight (it may have been that the previous flight Blue Origin NS-21 on 4 June 2022 was actually the first such flight, if Katya Echazarreta's flight was not sponsored by Blue Origin, see above) where all six passengers were paying passengers (i.e., their flights were financed by other entities than Blue Origin).[49][50]
  7. The 7th crewed flight, NS-25, flew successfully on 19 May 2024, 2 years after the in-flight abort of uncrewed mission NS-23. Onboard were six passengers, including Ed Dwight, the first African-American astronaut candidate who was controversially not selected to join NASA in 1961. Eventually, on NS-25, he became the oldest man to reach space.[51]
  8. The 8th crewed flight, NS-26, flew successfully on 29 August 2024. The flight's crew included NASA-funded scientist Rob Ferl. During the flight he performed scientific experiments. Ferl was the first NASA-funded researcher flying aboard New Shepard (or indeed aboard any of the commercial suborbital space vehicles of the 21st century). His flight and experiments were funded by NASA's Flight Opportunities program.[52]

As of June 2022, the company has generated more than $100M from the New Shepard space tourism program.[45] In 2024, rocket Scientist Aisha Bowe will be the first black woman to fly with Blue Origin on the New Shepard rocket.[53]

Flight list

[edit]
Launch No. Date Vehicle Apogee Outcome Notes
0 19 October 2012
  • N/A
  • RSS Jules Verne
 0.7 km (0.4369 mi) Success Pad abort test of the New Shepard crew capsule.
1 29 April 2015
93.5 km (58.1 mi) Partial success Flight to altitude 93.5 km, capsule recovered, and rocket crashed on landing. Blue Origin deemed mission successful.[54]
2 23 November 2015
100.535 km (62.4695 mi)[55] Success Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing.[56]
3 22 January 2016
101.676 km (63.1784 mi)[57] Success Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused rocket.[58]
4 2 April 2016
103.381 km (64.2383 mi)[59] Success Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused rocket.[60]
5 19 June 2016
101.042 km (62.7843 mi)[61] Success Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused rocket: the fourth launch and landing of the same rocket. Blue Origin published a live webcast of the takeoff and landing.[61]
6 5 October 2016
  • Rocket: 93.713 km (58.2307 mi)
  • Capsule: 7.092 km (4.4070 mi)[62]
 Success Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused rocket. Successful test of the in-flight abort system. The fifth and final launch and landing of the same rocket (NS2).[63]
7 12 December 2017
  • Rocket: 98.155 km (60.9909 mi)
  • Capsule: 98.269 km (61.0616 mi)[64]
 Success Flight to just under 100 km and landing. The first launch of NS3 and a new Crew Capsule 2.0.[65]
8 29 April 2018
107 km (66.5 mi)[66] Success Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused rocket.[20]
9 18 July 2018
118.825 km (73.8345 mi)[14] Success Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused rocket, with the Crew Capsule 2.0-1 RSS H.G.Wells, carrying a mannequin. Successful test of the in-flight abort system at high altitude. Flight duration was 11 minutes.[14]
10 23 January 2019
c. 106.9 km (66.4 mi)[22] Success Sub-orbital flight, delayed from 18 December 2018. Eight NASA research and technology payloads were flown.[67][68]
11 2 May 2019
c. 105 km (65.5 mi)[69] Success Sub-orbital flight. Maximum Ascent Velocity: 3,568 km/h (2,217 mph),[69] duration: 10 minutes, 10 seconds. Payload: 38 microgravity research payloads (nine sponsored by NASA).
12 11 December 2019
c. 104.5 km (64.9 mi)[70] Success Sub-orbital flight, Payload: Multiple commercial, research (8 sponsored by NASA) and educational payloads, including postcards from Club for the Future.[71][72] The sixth launch and landing of the same rocket.[70]
13 13 October 2020, 13:37
c. 107.0 km (66.52 mi) Success 7th flight of the same capsule/rocket. Onboard 12 payloads include Space Lab Technologies, Southwest Research Institute, postcards and seeds for Club for the Future, and multiple payloads for NASA including SPLICE to test future lunar landing technologies in support of the Artemis program.[73]
14 14 January 2021, 16:57[74]
  • Rocket: 106.942 km (66.4504 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.050 km (66.5180 mi)
 Success Uncrewed qualification flight for NS4 rocket and capsule and maiden flight for NS4
15 14 April 2021
16:51[75][76]
  • Rocket: 106.94 km (66.447 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.052 km (66.5191 mi)
 Success Second flight of NS4, first preflight human passenger process test where Blue Origin conducted an "Astronaut Rehearsal." Gary Lai, Susan Knapp, Clay Mowry, and Audrey Powers, all Blue Origin personnel, were “stand-in astronauts”. Lai and Powers briefly entered the capsule during the test.[77]
16 20 July 2021
13:12[78][79]
  • Rocket: 105.823 km (65.7553 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.05 km (66.517 mi)
 Success First crewed flight of New Shepard, with four passengers:[80]
– Jeff Bezos[81]
– Mark Bezos
– Wally Funk[37]
– Oliver Daemen
17 25 August 2021
14:31[82]
  • Rocket: 105.775 km (65.7258 mi)
  • Capsule: 105.898 km (65.8019 mi)
 Success Payload mission consisting of 18 commercial payloads inside the crew capsule, a NASA lunar landing technology demonstration installed on the exterior of the rocket and an art installation installed on the exterior of the crew capsule.[83]
18 13 October 2021
14:49[84]
  • Rocket: 106.926 km (66.4407 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.041 km (66.5125 mi)
 Success Second crewed New Shepard flight. Crew of four included:[85][86]
– Chris Boshuizen
– Glen de Vries
– William Shatner
– Audrey Powers
19 11 December 2021[87]
  • Rocket: 106.939 km (66.4491 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.053 km (66.5199 mi)
 Success Third crewed New Shepard flight. Crew of six included:
– Lane Bess
– Cameron Bess
– Evan Dick
– Laura Shepard Churchley
– Michael Strahan
– Dylan Taylor
20 31 March 2022
13:57[88]
  • Rocket: 106.964 km (66.4644 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.069 km (66.5295 mi)
 Success Fourth crewed New Shepard flight. Crew of six included:
– Marty Allen
– Sharon Hagle
– Marc Hagle
– Jim Kitchen
– George Nield
– Gary Lai
21 4 June 2022
13:25[89]
  • Rocket: 106.93 km (66.445 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.041 km (66.5123 mi)
 Success Fifth crewed New Shepard flight. Crew of six included:
– Evan Dick
– Katya Echazarreta
– Hamish Harding
– Victor Correa Hespanha
– Jaison Robinson
– Victor Vescovo
22 4 August 2022
13:56[90]
  • Rocket: 106.944 km (66.4519 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.056 km (66.5212 mi)
 Success Sixth crewed New Shepard flight. Crew of six included:
– Coby Cotton
– Mário Ferreira
– Vanessa O'Brien
– Clint Kelly III
– Sara Sabry
– Steve Young
23 12 September 2022
14:27[25]
11.400 km (7.0835 mi)[25] Failure[25] Uncrewed research mission with 36 commercial payloads on board including two on the exterior of the rocket.[91] The spacecraft's launch escape system activated after the rocket's BE-3 main engine failed around a minute after liftoff leading to a loss of control. The capsule was safely recovered whilst the rocket was lost as it impacted on ground.[26][25]
24 19 December 2023, 16:43[92]
  • Rocket: 106.941 km (66.4498 mi)
  • Capsule: 107.060 km (66.5242 mi)
 Success Successful Return to Flight mission following failure of NS-23 more than a year prior. 33 payloads and 38,000 Club for the Future postcards from students around the world.[93]
25 19 May 2024[94]
c. 106 km[95] Success Seventh crewed New Shepard flight. Crew of six included:
– Kenneth Hess
– Sylvain Chiron
– Mason Angel
– Ed Dwight
– Carol Schaller
– Gopi Thotakura
26 29 August 2024, 13:07
Capsule 105.3 km (65.4 mi) Success Eighth crewed New Shepard flight. Crew of six included:
– Ephraim Rabin
– Nicolina Elrick
– Eugene Grin
– Rob Ferl
– Karsen Kitchen (daughter of Jim Kitchen)
– Eiman Jahangir
27 23 October 2024, 15:27 UTC
  • NS5.1
  • RSS Kármán Line
 Capsule 101 km (63 mi) Success First flight of Propulsion Module NS5 and capsule RSS Kármán Line. 12 payloads and tens of thousands of Club for the Future postcards.
28 NET 22 November 2024, 15:30 UTC Ninth crewed New Shepard flight. Crew of six included:
– Emily Calandrelli
– Sharon Hagle
– Marc Hagle
– Austin Litteral
– James (J.D.) Russell
– Henry (Hank) Wolfond

Design

[edit]
Mock-up of the New Shepard capsule at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2017

New Shepard is a fully reusable, vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) space vehicle composed of two principal parts: a pressurized crew capsule and a launch rocket that Blue Origin often calls a booster or propulsion module.[12] The New Shepard is controlled entirely by on-board computers, without ground control[6] or a human pilot.[96]

Launch rocket

[edit]

The launch rocket is powered by one BE-3PM engine with thrust vector control, fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.[97] Aft fins stabilize the rocket during ascent, steer it back to the landing pad during descent, and guide it effectively at speeds up to Mach 3. Ring and wedge fins near the top of the rocket provide aerodynamic stability and reduce fuel consumption during descent. Drag brakes are also deployed during descent to increase drag and reduce speed.[98] The gimbaling engine nozzle and aft fins work together to steer the rocket, both using hydraulic actuators.[99]

Crew capsule

[edit]

The New Shepard crew capsule is a pressurized crew capsule designed to carry up to six people. It supports a "full-envelope" launch escape system that can separate the capsule from the launch rocket at any point during ascent.[100] The Crew Capsule Escape Solid Rocket Motor (CCE-SRM) is sourced from Aerojet Rocketdyne.[101] The interior volume of the capsule is 15 cubic meters (530 cu ft),[102] containing 6 windows, 6 reclined seats, and handholds for ease of movement in zero-g.[98] At the center of the capsule is a cylinder housing the crew escape system.[103] After separation from the launch rocket, three parachutes deploy for a soft landing. In the event of a parachute failure, the capsule can still land safely with one of three parachutes deployed. Before touchdown, a retro-thrust system at the bottom of the capsule expels nitrogen gas to slow the landing to approximately 3.2 km/h (2 mph).[104] Additionally, a crushable ring, 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) high, compresses upon impact on the underside of the capsule and acts as a decelerator to absorb g-forces.[105]

Flight profile

[edit]

New Shepard is launched 48 kilometres (30 mi; 26 nmi) north of Van Horn, Texas, at Launch Site One (LS1), and conducts a powered flight for about 110 seconds, up to an altitude of 40 km (25 mi; 22 nmi).

The rocket and capsule then continue coasting upwards due to their momentum, reaching an apogee just above the Kármán Line at 100 km (62 mi; 54 nmi; 330,000 ft). Near this peak altitude, the crew capsule separates from the rocket. As the rocket nears the ground, its air brakes deploy and the engines restart as onboard computers autonomously bring the rocket for a vertical landing at the landing pad, where it deploys its four landing legs.[106][107] The crew capsule descends afterward under three parachutes and a solid rocket motor. The crew capsule can also separate in case of a vehicle malfunction or other emergency using solid propellant separation boosters, then perform a parachute landing.[96][108] The total flight duration of the rocket is over 7 minutes, while the total flight time for the crew capsule is around 10 minutes.

NASA suborbital research payloads

[edit]

NASA Suborbital Research Payloads

[edit]

"New Shepard offers flights to space over 100 kilometers for payloads inside our cabin or with direct exposure to the space environment. With minutes of high-quality microgravity or partial-G, access to the Kármán Line, and gentle return of payload, New Shepard is transforming access to space research."[109]

As of March 2011, Blue Origin had submitted the New Shepard reusable launch vehicle for use as an uncrewed rocket for NASA's suborbital reusable launch vehicle (sRLV) solicitation under NASA's Flight Opportunities Program. Blue Origin projects 100 km (62 mi) altitude in flights of approximately ten minutes duration, while carrying an 11.3 kg (25 lb) research payload.[110] By March 2016, Blue Origin noted that they are "due to start flying unaccompanied scientific payloads later [in 2016]."[96] On 29 April 2018, during its eighth flight New Shepard carried the Schmitt Space Communicator SC-1x, a three-pound device developed by Solstar that launched the first commercial wi-fi hotspot service in space and sent the first commercial Twitter message from space.[111][112] NASA provided a part of the $2 million project's funding as a part of its Flight Opportunities program.[113][114]

On 12 September 2022,18 NASA payloads were flying on NS-23[91] when an in-flight failure of the rocket's main engine caused an emergency ejection of the payload capsule. The payload capsule landed safely and was recovered whilst the rocket was lost.[25]

Involvement with NASA Commercial Crew Development Program

[edit]

Blue Origin received US$3.7 million in Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) phase 1 to advance several development objectives of its innovative "pusher" Launch Abort System (LAS) and composite pressure vessel.[115]

In February 2011, with the end of the second ground test nearly complete, the company completed all work envisioned under the phase 1 contract for the pusher escape system. They also "completed work on the other aspect of its award, risk reduction work on a composite pressure vessel" for the vehicle.[116]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Jones, Caleb. "New Shepard | NS-1". Space Launch Now. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Blue Origin successfully launches its New Shepard rocket after 15-month ban". Daily Mail. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Blue Origin Flight Test Update". SpaceFellowship. 2 January 2007. Our first objective is developing New Shepard, a vertical take-off, vertical-landing vehicle designed to take a small number of astronauts on a sub-orbital journey into space. On the morning of 13 November 2006, we launched and landed Goddard – a first development vehicle in the New Shepard program.
  4. ^ Lindsay, Clark (22 October 2012). "Blue Origin carries out crew capsule pad escape test". NewSpace Watch. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  5. ^ Leone, Dan (29 October 2012). "Blue Origin Wraps Up Commercial Crew Work with Escape System Test". Space News. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (13 April 2015). "Blue Origin's suborbital plans are finally ready for flight". Retrieved 18 April 2015. We've recently completed acceptance testing, meaning we've accepted the engine for suborbital flight on our New Shepard vehicle, [the end of a] very, very long development program [of] 450 test firings of the engine and a cumulative run time of more than 500 minutes. The completion of those tests sets the stage for Blue Origin to begin test flights of the vehicle later this year at its facility in West Texas [where they] expect a series of flight tests with this vehicle ... flying in autonomous mode... We expect a series of dozens of flights over the extent of the test program [taking] a couple of years to complete.
  7. ^ Foust, Jeff (21 April 2015). "Blue Origin To Begin Test Flights Within Weeks". Space news. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  8. ^ Berry, Stephanie (29 March 2017). "Blue Origin New Shepard to Receive the 2016 Robert J. Collier Trophy" (PDF). NAA. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  9. ^ a b Berger, Eric (9 March 2016). "Behind the curtain: Ars goes inside Blue Origin's secretive rocket factory". Ars Technica. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d Richard Tribou (12 September 2022). "FAA grounds Blue Origin New Shepard after emergency abort during launch". Orlando Sentinel.
  11. ^ Bezos, Jeff (27 April 2015). "First Developmental Test Flight of New Shepard". Blue Origin. Archived from the original on 30 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  12. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (30 April 2015). "Blue Origin's New Shepard Vehicle Makes First Test Flight". Space News. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  13. ^ @BlueOrigin (30 April 2018). "The previous crew capsule was named "RSS Jules Verne" and "RSS" stands for "Reusable Space Ship". Thanks for asking!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ a b c Marcia Dunn (19 July 2018). "Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launches spacecraft higher than ever". Associated Press. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  15. ^ a b Blue Origin enlarges New Glenn’s payload fairing, preparing to debut upgraded New Shepard, Caleb Henry, SpaceNews, accessed 15 September 2017.
  16. ^ a b Foust, Jeff (19 April 2018). "Blue Origin expects BE-4 qualification tests to be done by year's end". SpaceNews. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  17. ^ first time we've had two rockets in the barn in West Texas, Blue Origin, 17 December 2018, accessed 26 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Jeff Bezos says Blue Origin gives test dummy 'a great ride' on New Shepard suborbital spaceship". GeekWire. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  19. ^ Foust, Jeff (19 December 2017). "Blue Origin a year away from crewed New Shepard flights". SpaceNews. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  20. ^ a b Clark, Stephen (29 April 2018). "Video: Blue Origin flies New Shepard rocket for eighth time". Spaceflight Now.
  21. ^ Bartels, Meghan (20 December 2019). "Blue Origin Delays Next New Shepard Launch to Early 2019". Space.com. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  22. ^ a b New Shepard makes 10th launch as Blue Origin aims to fly humans late in 2019. Eric Berger, Ars Technica. 23 January 2019, accessed 26 January 2019.
  23. ^ Newton, Laura (24 August 2021). "NASA Technologies Slated for Testing on Blue Origin's New Shepard". NASA. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  24. ^ "New Shepard suffers in-flight abort on uncrewed NS-23 mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  25. ^ a b c d e f Foust, Jeff (12 September 2022). "New Shepard suffers in-flight abort on uncrewed suborbital flight". SpaceNews. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  26. ^ a b @blueorigin (12 September 2022). "During today's flight, the capsule escape system successfully separated" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 November 2022 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Jackie Wattles (7 June 2021). "Jeff Bezos is going to space". CNN. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  28. ^ Wall, Mike (4 October 2019). "Blue Origin Probably Won't Launch People to Space This Year". space.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  29. ^ Burghardt, Thomas (14 January 2021). "Blue Origin tests New Shepard capsule upgrades on NS-14 mission". NASAspaceflight.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  30. ^ a b "William Shatner Completes Trip to Space Aboard Blue Origin Rocket". The New York Times. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  31. ^ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-new-shepard-rocket-booster-and-crew-capsule-will-go-on-display-at-the-air-and-space-museum-180985265/
  32. ^ Stimac, Valerie. "Blue Origin Completes 27th Mission With New Human-Rated Vehicle". Forbes. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  33. ^ Sharp, John (8 October 2024). "Launch Roundup: Starship to fly? Europa Clipper - Hurricane delays, Falcon 9s on hold". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  34. ^ Foust, Jeff (20 July 2021). "Blue Origin launches Bezos on first crewed New Shepard flight". SpaceNews. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  35. ^ "Blue Origin will launch an 18-year-old as its final passenger on 1st crewed flight". Space.com. 15 July 2021.
  36. ^ "$28M is winning bid for seat aboard Blue Origin's 1st human space flight". ABC News. 12 June 2021.
  37. ^ a b @blueorigin (1 July 2021). "Welcome aboard, Wally. Here's the moment Jeff Bezos asked Wally Funk to join our first human flight on July 20 as our honored guest" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 July 2021 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "Bidder pays $28m for space trip with Amazon's Bezos". BBC News. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021. After a nearly month-long bidding process the top bid had stood at just under $5m – but once Saturday's online auction got under way that figure rose more than five times. "The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin's foundation, @ClubforFuture," Blue Origin tweeted....
  39. ^ Pesce, Nicole Lyn (16 July 2021). "Oliver Daemen, 18, is 'super excited' to join the Blue Origin crew and become the youngest person in space". MarketWatch. Retrieved 21 July 2021. The fully automated rocket and space capsule will carry six passengers, including Bezos, his brother – and now the son of Joes Daemen, founder and CEO of Somerset Capital Partners
  40. ^ "Meet Oliver Daemen, the Dutch teenager who will fly to space with Jeff Bezos after his hedge fund dad paid millions for the ticket". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  41. ^ "Crypto entrepreneur to go to space on New Shepard". 23 December 2021.
  42. ^ "Watch Live: Michael Strahan and the daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard launch to space with Blue Origin". CBS News. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  43. ^ Gorman, Steve (29 March 2022). "Blue Origin's 4th astro-tourism flight set to launch without big names". Reuters.
  44. ^ Wall, Mike (21 March 2022). "Pete Davidson's spaceflight replacement is Blue Origin's Gary Lai". Space.com. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  45. ^ a b c "What You Pay for Blue Origin's Spaceflight Depends on Who You Are". The New York Observer. 23 June 2022.
  46. ^ Foust, Jeff (29 August 2024). "Blue Origin flies NASA-funded scientist and space tourists on New Shepard suborbital flight". SpaceNews. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  47. ^ Mackisack, Daniel (8 November 2022). "The Crypto Community That's Going To The Moon – Literally". Zenger News. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  48. ^ "Blue Origin launches six more passengers to suborbital space – Spaceflight Now".
  49. ^ "Jeff Bezos' Blue origin sends first Egyptian national to space". 4 August 2022.
  50. ^ "Bezos' Blue Origin targets Aug 4 for third space tourism flight of 2022". August 2022.
  51. ^ Wall, Mike (19 May 2024). "Blue Origin launches 1st crewed spaceflight since August 2022 (video)". Space.com. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  52. ^ Foust, Jeff (29 August 2024). "Blue Origin flies NASA-funded scientist and space tourists on New Shepard suborbital flight". SpaceNews. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  53. ^ Jewell, Catherine (April 2023). "Rocket Scientist Aisha Bowe on a Mission to Inspire Others to Reach for the Stars". WIPO Magazine. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  54. ^ Harwood, Bill (30 April 2015). "Bezos' Blue Origin completes first test flight of "New Shepard" spacecraft". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  55. ^ Amos, Jonathan (24 November 2015). "New Shepard: Bezos claims success on second spaceship flight". BBC News. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  56. ^ Pasztor, Andy (24 November 2015). "Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin Succeeds in Landing Spent Rocket Back on Earth". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  57. ^ Berger, Brian (23 January 2016). "Launch. Land. Repeat: Blue Origin posts video of New Shepard's Friday flight". SpaceNews. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  58. ^ "Launch Land Repeat". Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  59. ^ Cofield, Calla (4 April 2016). "Launch Land Repeat Blue Origin's Amazing Rocket Liftoff and Landing in Pictures". space.com. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  60. ^ Calandrelli, Emily (2 April 2016). "Blue Origin launches and lands the same rocket for a third time". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  61. ^ a b Boyle, Alan (19 June 2016). "Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin live-streams its spaceship's risky test flight". GeekWire. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  62. ^ "New Shepard In-flight Escape Test". Blue Origin. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  63. ^ Foust, Jeff (5 October 2016). "Blue Origin successfully tests New Shepard abort system". SpaceNews. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  64. ^ "Crew Capsule 2.0 First Flight". Blue Origin. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  65. ^ "Blue Origin flies next-generation New Shepard vehicle". SpaceNews.com. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  66. ^ "Apogee 351,000 Feet". Blue Origin. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  67. ^ Clark, Stephen. "Blue Origin reschedules New Shepard launch for Wednesday". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  68. ^ "Blue Origin New Shepard: Mission 10 (Q1 2019) – collectSPACE: Messages". www.collectspace.com. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  69. ^ a b Clark, Stephen. "Blue Origin "one step closer" to human flights after successful suborbital launch". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  70. ^ a b "New Shepard sets reusability mark on latest suborbital spaceflight". SpaceNews.com. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  71. ^ Boyle, Alan (8 December 2019). "Watch Blue Origin send thousands of postcards to space and back on test flight". Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  72. ^ "New Shepard Mission NS-12 Updates". Blue Origin. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  73. ^ Sheetz, Michael (13 October 2020). "Blue Origin launches and lands the 13th test flight of its space tourism rocket New Shepard". CNBC. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  74. ^ "OET Special Temporary Authority Report". apps.fcc.gov.
  75. ^ "NS-15 (Suborbital)". RocketLaunch.live. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  76. ^ "Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launches and lands rocket New Shepard, as it prepares to launch people". CNBC. 14 April 2021.
  77. ^ Smith, Marcia (14 January 2021). "Dress Rehearsal Puts Blue Origin Closer to Human Spaceflight". spacepolicyonline.com. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  78. ^ "Bid for the very first seat on New Shepard". blueorigin.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  79. ^ "WATCH LIVE: First Human Flight (NS-16, Suborbital) Mission (New Shepard) – RocketLaunch.Live". www.rocketlaunch.live. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  80. ^ "Winning Ticket to Join Jeff Bezos in Space Costs Nearly $30 Million in Blue Origin Auction". Wall Street Journal. 12 June 2021.
  81. ^ Bezos, Jeff [@jeffbezos] (7 June 2021). "Ever since I was five years old, I've dreamed of traveling to space. On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend. #GradatimFerociter" – via Instagram.
  82. ^ Blue Origin [@blueorigin] (26 August 2021). "Capsule, touchdown! A wholly successful payload mission for New Shepard. A huge congrats to the entire Blue Origin team on another successful flight" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  83. ^ "New Shepard Payload Mission NS-17 to Fly NASA Lunar Landing Experiment and Art Installation". Blue Origin. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  84. ^ "Blue Origin successfully and safely completes second human flight to space and back". Blue Origin. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  85. ^ "Blue Origin announces next customers to fly on New Shepard's upcoming human flight on October 12". Blue Origin. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  86. ^ "William Shatner and Blue Origin's Audrey Powers to fly on New Shepard's 18th mission". Blue Origin. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  87. ^ Foust, Jeff (13 October 2021). "Blue Origin launches second crewed New Shepard mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved 13 October 2021. Company executives said in July that they expected to perform two more crewed flights this year, of which this one was the first. The second, projected for December, may be the first to carry six people, the full crew complement of New Shepard.
  88. ^ Sheetz, Michael (31 March 2022). "Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launches first New Shepard space crew of 2022". CNBC. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  89. ^ Davenport, Justin (4 June 2022). "Blue Origin launches NS-21 suborbital flight with six passengers". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  90. ^ navin, Joseph (4 August 202). "New Shepard launches sixth suborbital crewed flight". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  91. ^ a b Mike Wall (24 August 2022). "Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to launch next space mission on Aug. 31". Space.com. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  92. ^ "New Shepard | NS-24". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 19 December 2023.[permanent dead link‍]
  93. ^ "New Shepard's 24th Mission Will Carry 33 Science Payloads to Space". Blue Origin. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  94. ^ "New Shepard's 25th Mission Includes America's First Black Astronaut Candidate". Blue Origin. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  95. ^ Foust, Jeff (19 May 2024). "Blue Origin resumes crewed New Shepard suborbital flights".
  96. ^ a b c Boyle, Alan (5 March 2016). "Jeff Bezos lifts curtain on Blue Origin rocket factory, lays out grand plan for space travel that spans hundreds of years". GeekWire. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  97. ^ "BE-3: Making History". Blue Origin. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  98. ^ a b "New Shepard". Blue Origin. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  99. ^ "New Shepard Space Vehicle Makes Fifth Flight". JASC. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  100. ^ Blue Origin. The New Shepard Crew Capsule. YouTube. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  101. ^ "Aerojet Rocketdyne Motor Plays Key Role in Successful Blue Origin In-Flight Crew Escape Test". SpaceRef.com. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  102. ^ "Our Approach to Technology". Blue Origin. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2015. The system consists of a pressurized capsule atop a booster. The combined vehicles launch vertically, accelerating for approximately two and a half minutes, before the engine cuts off. The capsule then separates from the booster to coast quietly into space. After a few minutes of free fall, the booster performs an autonomously controlled rocket-powered vertical landing, while the capsule lands softly under parachutes, both ready to be used again. Reusability allows us to fly the system again and again. ... The New Shepard capsule's interior is ... 530 cubic feet – offering over 10 times the room Alan Shepard had on his Mercury flight. It seats six astronauts. Three independent parachutes [on the capsule] provide redundancy, while a retro-thrust system further cushions [the] landing. ... Full-envelope escape [system] is built around a solid rocket motor that provides 70,000 lb. of thrust in a two-second burn.
  103. ^ Cofield, Calla (18 April 2017). "Aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard: My Imaginary Journey to Space". Space.com. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  104. ^ "Record of Safety". Blue Origin. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  105. ^ Cofield, Calla (21 July 2016). "Blue Origin's Crew Capsule Aced Parachute-Failure Test, Jeff Bezos Says". Space.com. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  106. ^ "Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Finding of No Significant Impact" (PDF). www.faa.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2009.
  107. ^ "Blue Origin Completes Third Human Spaceflight". Blue Origin. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  108. ^ Harwood, William (12 September 2022). "Blue Origin rocket malfunctions, triggers dramatic but safe abort for unpiloted New Shepard capsule". CBS News. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  109. ^ "Payloads". Blue Origin. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  110. ^ "sRLV platforms compared". NASA. 7 March 2011. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2011. New Shepard: Type: VTVL/Unpiloted
  111. ^ "How Humans Will Bring the Internet to Space". www.vice.com. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  112. ^ "Apogee 351,000 Feet". Blue Origin. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  113. ^ Ditzler, Joseph (2 July 2018). "Space Wi-Fi startup aims to raise $1M via crowdfunding investment site". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  114. ^ "New Mexico firm hopes to offer Wi-Fi for space travelers". The Seattle Times. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  115. ^ Jeff Foust. "Blue Origin proposes orbital vehicle". NewSpace Journal. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  116. ^ "CCDev awardees one year later: where are they now?". NewSpace Journal. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Shepard.
Videos
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Shepard&oldid=1258572279#New_Shepard_3"