Area tourism firm Blue Origin has set its sights on a New Shepard launch window that begins tomorrow at 9:30AM ET, its first try because the rocket booster failed throughout its September 2022 launch. The corporate says its New Shepard rocket will launch from its Launch Web site One in West Texas. Blue Origin will livestream the launch on its website 20 minutes earlier than the countdown.
This would be the twenty fourth launch of the reusable New Shepard rocket, and can carry 33 science payloads. Most of its launches have been uncrewed, however as Engadget noted, six of them have had human beings on board, including William Shatner. Final yr, Blue Origin’s uncrewed NS-23 launch failed, prompting a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation.
The FAA said in its September report that the “proximate cause” of the failure was an engine nozzle that succumbed to “higher than expected engine operating temperatures,” however that particles from the mishap was solely contained within the “designated hazard area.” The company gave the corporate 21 corrective actions to maintain the identical failure from taking place once more, “including redesign of engine and nozzle components” and organizational modifications.
The rocket may also be carrying 38,000 postcards despatched by college students collaborating in Blue Origin’s Membership for the Future program selling STEM schooling. Membership for the Future accepts physical postcards for New Shepard missions, however the membership additionally sends alongside a tough drive stuffed with digital submissions.
