![]() This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure, parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. No one was aboard, only science experiments. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure and parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. ![]() This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. It was the ninth flight for this particular rocket-capsule pair, which was dedicated to flying experiments. It was the 23rd flight for the New Shepard program, named after the first American in space, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard. Half were sponsored by NASA, mostly from students. Thirty-six experiments were on board to be exposed to a few minutes of weightlessness. ![]() The webcast showed the capsule reaching a maximum altitude of more than 37,000 feet (11,300 meters). The rocket usually lands upright on the desert floor and then is recycled for future flights. It happened around the point the rocket is under the maximum amount of pressure, called max-q. There was no video shown of the rocket-only the capsule-after the failure. The mishap occurred as the rocket was traveling nearly 700 mph (1,126 kph) at an altitude of about 28,000 feet (8,500 meters). The company later said the rocket crashed. This image provided by Blue Origin shows a rocket after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. Escape system performed as designed," the Kent, Washington-based company tweeted close to an hour later. "Booster failure on today's uncrewed flight. ![]() The rocket came crashing down, with no injuries or damage reported, said the FAA, which is in charge of public safety during commercial space launches and landings.īlue Origin's launch commentary went silent when the capsule catapulted off the rocket Monday morning, eventually announcing: "It appears we've experienced an anomaly with today's flight. Several minutes later, the capsule parachuted onto the remote desert floor. The capsule's emergency launch abort system immediately kicked in, lifting the craft off the top. The New Shepard rocket was barely a minute into its flight from West Texas when bright yellow flames shot out from around the single engine at the bottom. The rockets are now grounded pending the outcome of an investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It is also working on a scaled-up version of New Shepard capable of orbital flight, which could potentially dock with the International Space Station.No one was aboard the Blue Origin flight, which used the same kind of rocket as the one that sends paying customers to the edge of space. The firm recently announced a partnership with United Launch Alliance, which regularly launches rockets for NASA, to provide engines for ULA’s new Vulcan rocket. You can expect to hear more from Blue Origins soon, as the company is ramping up its public profile. “If New Shepard had been a traditional expendable vehicle, this would have been a flawless first test flight,” wrote Bezos. Like its rival SpaceX, Blue Origins is aiming to reduce the cost of space flight by reusing rocket components. However, the launch wasn’t a total success because a loss of hydraulic pressure meant the firm wasn’t able to recover the rocket’s propulsion modules as planned. The generally accepted definition of space starts at 100 kilometres up, so this flight was very close. “Any astronauts on board would have had a very nice journey into space and a smooth return,” wrote Bezos in a statement about the launch. The capsule is capable of carrying six people but was empty for this launch. Once the rocket finished firing, its capsule was released, slowed by parachutes and returned safely to Earth. The company’s latest test flight was much more successful, powering to Mach 3 speeds and reaching a height of 93.6 kilometres.
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