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Blue Origin, the space exploration company co-founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is preparing to start passenger flights as early as this spring, according to a press report.
Thursday’s New Shepard rocket test was one of the “last remaining steps” before a crew was sent into space. The test flight, the fourteenth of the New Shepard, was the first of two “stable configuration” test flights, the second – which will include the loading and unloading team – will arrive at the end of February.
In this image from a video made available by Blue Origin, the company’s New Shepard rocket lands after a test flight in West Texas on Thursday, January 14, 2021 (Blue Origin via AP)
If both tests prove successful, a crewed flight could take place as early as early April, according to CNBC, which first reported the news.
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A spokesperson for Blue Origin told FOX Business that the announced timing was “rumor and speculation.”
In this image from a video made available by Blue Origin, the company’s First Step RSS capsule uses parachutes to land after a test flight in West Texas on Thursday, January 14, 2021 (Blue Origin via AP)
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Regardless of the timing, Blue Origin will eventually launch paying customers at altitudes above 340,000 feet in zero gravity for several minutes, before returning them to Earth.
The news comes after Blue Origin tested its New Shepard spacecraft on Thursday.
Thursday’s flight with a model named Mannequin Skywalker lasted 10 minutes and reached 106 miles over West Texas. The New Shepard rocket and capsule landed successfully.
It was the 14th flight to the edge of space for a New Shepard rocket. The first was in 2015.
The company tweeted an image of the launch, which it called a “success.”
“The success of this flight really brings us a lot closer to flying astronauts,” said Ariane Cornell, launch commentator, from the company’s headquarters in Kent, Washington. “There will be a lot of fun to come in 2021.”
Thursday’s test flight featured a number of upgrades, including microphones and push buttons for all six seats, as well as wall panels to dampen engine noise, a safety alert system and controls temperature and humidity.
In September, Blue Origin made its 13th trip to space using a reusable New Shepard rocket for a record-breaking seventh time.
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Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 and has funded the company in part through the sale of his personal Amazon shares in recent years. The company is seen as a direct competitor to the private space initiative of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, SpaceX.
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Thomas Barabbi, Lucas Manfredi and Associated Press of FOX Business contributed to this story.
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