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Updated July 18, 11:35 am ET: Blue Origin has successfully completed another successful test launch today, landing both the New Shepard rocket and the capsule after the flight. The company turned on the emergency engine of the capsule after being separated from the rocket, pushing the spacecraft up to a maximum altitude of about 74 miles – a new record for Blue Origin. The shot also allowed the capsule to support up to 10G during the test, but Ariane Cornell, the host of Blue Origin, said: "It's what humans can do , especially for a short period of time. "
The Aeronautical Company of Bezos Blue Origin will attempt the ninth test flight of its sub-orbital rocket the New Shepard – a reusable vehicle designed to take tourists to the edge of the sea. space and set back. And for this launch, the company will test the vehicle's exhaust engine again. This is the system that could save the lives of future pbadengers should something go wrong during the ascent into the Earth's atmosphere.
Like most vertical rockets, the New Shepard is designed to take off from a launch platform at Blue Origin's facility. West Texas. A capsule for the crew members, which the rocket carries to the sky during the flight, is perched at the top of the vehicle. Once the New Shepard reaches an altitude of about 62 miles – which is often considered the edge of the space – the capsule and rocket separate. If the pbadengers were on board, they would feel a few minutes of weightlessness. Then the capsule and the rocket fall back to Earth. The parachutes deploy to land softly on the capsule, while the rocket turns on its engine to land on the ground.
a little different on this test flight. Blue Origin lights the exhaust engine of the crew capsule. This is a small engine located on the bottom of the capsule that can quickly propel the spacecraft up and away from the rocket booster in case there is an emergency during the flight. Blue Origin has already tested this engine at a launch in October 2016, waiting for the engine to destroy the servomotor. When the engine turns on, it slams the servomotor with 70,000 pounds of powerful thrust and exhaust. And yet, the booster survived the test, managing to land on the Texas desert floor.
This time, Blue Origin plans to turn on the engine at a higher altitude than last time, "pushing the rocket to its limits," according to the company. However, the intensity of the ignition will not be specified and the survivor will return to the test.
No pbadengers will be taking part in this trip, except the Blue Origin test dummy, which the company has named Mannequin Skywalker. Mannequin will be inside the crew capsule with many scientific experiments from NASA, commercial companies and universities. The Santa Fe Solstar company, who flew with Blue Origin during its last launch, will test its Wi-Fi access again during the flight. NASA will have a payload designed to take measurements of the conditions inside the capsule throughout the trip, such as temperature, pressure and acoustics. There are even loads of payloads made by Blue Origin employees as part of the company's "Fly My Stuff" program.
The rocket that rises today is the third New Shepard vehicle that the The company has never flown. The first flew at a very high altitude in April 2015, but the propeller could not land on Earth after the flight. The second iteration of the vehicle was much more successful, however. Blue Origin launched and launched the rocket and thruster in total five times before retiring from the system. This third New Shepard has already made two launches and landings, and offers some improvements over its predecessors. For example, this one actually has windows in the crew capsule; the second vehicle had its windows painted.
Blue Origin builds even more vehicles to transport pbadengers, although there is no specific date for the start of the first crewed flights. Company President, Rob Meyerson, estimated that the first pbadengers tested could fly as early as this year, while commercial flights could begin in 2019. Blue Origin also plans to start selling tickets year-round next. A report from Reuters indicates that these tickets would cost at least $ 200,000, although Blue Origin says nothing has been decided yet. "We have not set ticket prices and have not had any serious discussions inside Blue on this subject," the company said in a statement, according to GeekWire .
11:00 am ET, and the Blue Origin live stream will begin about 20 minutes before takeoff. Then come back to watch this test launch live.
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