Blue Origin successfully launches New Shepard rocket after crash in 2022

Blue Origin, the space company of former Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, has successfully launched its New Shepard rocket and crew capsule and returned them safely to Earth. The company held its most recent launch more than a year ago, during which the rocket crashed.

The reusable New Shepard rocket was successfully launched from West Texas on Tuesday, Blue Origin confirmed in a press release. The rocket was brought to a maximum altitude of approximately 106 kilometers. This allowed the space capsule, which did not contain any crew members, to spend a short time in space. Ten minutes and thirteen seconds after launch, the capsule landed back on Earth. The New Shepard rocket also landed safely.

The launch was initially scheduled for Monday, December 18, but the attempt was then aborted due to low temperatures and problems on the ground. The rocket was launched on Tuesday as part of the NS-24 space mission. This delivered 33 payloads to space, including from NASA and educational institutions. The rocket also carried 38,000 postcards from students around the world, which are now being returned to their senders.

The NS-24 space mission comes fifteen months after Blue Origin had to abort a space mission with the New Shepard rocket halfway through. The crew capsule was separated from the New Shepard rocket due to an ‘irregularity’, after which the rocket crashed. The capsule managed to land safely. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration this was due to a ‘structural defect in a nozzle’, which was caused by higher than expected engine temperatures. The FAA ordered Blue Origin to implement 21 measures to prevent the failure from happening again.

The December 19 launch. The launch will take place around 25:44. The rocket lands around 32:57 and the capsule follows around 35:45.