Blue Origin Successfully Lands Rocket

Blue Origin, a rocket company started by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, successfully launched and landed the New Shepard rocket. Named after Alan Shepard, the first human to successfully reach space in a sub-orbit in 1961, the rocket launched from a site near Van Horn in Texas and carried a capsule that goes to 100.5 km above the earth’s surface, an altitude considered the beginning of outer space.

Blue Origin, an aerospace developer and manufacturer setup in 2000, keeps its operations secret for the most part. They have leased the site known as Launch Complex 36, a site that has carried out more than 145 launches, including Pioneer 10 and Surveyor 1, the first spacecraft to visit Jupiter and the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the moon, respectively.

The capsule landed on the ground supported by parachute 11 minutes after blast-off. After launch, the rocket reached a height of 100.5 km above its launch site, inverted upside down to allow the thrusters to be facing down, and landed at a speed of 7 Km/Hr less than 5 feet from its target landing site without damaging the rocket itself.

Blue Origin’s mission is to make reusable rockets for space travel. Until now, rockets are used once and expended in the ocean. This is a breakthrough moment for all, since rockets can be reused for other purposes than simply wasting them, reducing cost of putting vehicles into outer space. Bezos called it the “Holy Grail of Rocketry”.

“It was a totally nominal flight. We’re walking on cloud nine. Here in mission control in West Texas, there wasn't a dry eye in the house," Bezos said, "It was one of the greatest moments of my life. Think of this as the beginning of a thorough test program. The next flight should be a matter of weeks. The ultimate vision should be aircraft-like operations."

In April, Blue Origin launched a rocket as a test flight that accelerated past 3 times the speed of sound, and reached an altitude of 93.5 km. The capsule, without passengers, landed safely. However, the rocket crashed due to a hydraulic system failure.

The future of Blue Origin is unknown. Officials have not spoken about their target markets, nor the ticket cost of the 4 minutes of free-float time in outer space for a passenger in the capsule. Commercial flights are expected to begin in the next two years.