Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket lifted off from its launch site in West Texas on Sunday, carrying a crew of seven on a short hop to space and back.
This was the first crewed mission for Blue Origin since September 2022 after the loss of a vehicle on an uncrewed flight when a nozzle failure caused the flight abort system to activate, sending the capsule safely away from New Shepard that failed.
The rise of #NS25 pic.twitter.com/81W4Pfx8xP
Blue Origin (@blueorigin) May 19, 2024
The mission, NS-25, flew six crew members over the Karman line on their suborbital journey. The flight lasted just 10 minutes overall, with the crew reaching an altitude of 351,111 ft (107 km) and a maximum climb speed of 2,236 mph (3,599 km/h). The first stage booster, on the other hand, reached an altitude of 350,752 ft (107 km), slightly lower than the crew capsule.
The crew consisted of six private citizens of various backgrounds, including former US Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, who became the oldest person to fly in space at the age of 90. Dwight was originally selected as a NASA astronaut in 1963, but never flew and retired three years later.
2 of 3 parachutes inflated during landing (Credit Blue Origin)
While the first part of the flight went smoothly and the first stage booster made a smooth landing, only two of the three main parachutes in the crew capsule inflated. This is a contingency that Blue Origin has prepared for, having previously deliberately gone down with just two to prove it could be done safely.
Changed forever. #NS25 pic.twitter.com/g0uXLabDe9
Blue Origin (@blueorigin) May 19, 2024
It is currently unknown whether the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the parachute issue and whether it will cause further delays to departures from West Texas.
What do you think of this latest flight for Blue Origin?
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