Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spacecraft triumphantly takes off on its first manned space flight in almost 2 years
Six tourists embarked on an approximately 10-minute space journey aboard New Shepard. Takeoff took place at 11:36 am (Brasília time) on Sunday (19).
Image of the start of the New Shepard flight on Sunday, May 19, 2024 - Photo Reproduction/Blue Origin
After almost two years since its last manned space flight, a nave da Blue Origin, a company founded by Jeff Bezos, former CEO of Amazon, has triumphantly taken off on its latest mission. A New Shepard spacecraft, from Bezos' rocket company, departed Van Horn, Texas, with six crew on board. The launch took place promptly at 11:36 am, and the journey lasted about 10 minutes.
Named NS-25, this mission was a success, marking the return of New Shepard's manned missions after the last manned flight in August 2022. A month after this event, a company rocket encountered a failure shortly after launch, however, Fortunately, the ship was empty and no injuries were reported. The last flight was carried out in December 2023, but without passengers on board. Now, on Sunday (19), Blue Origin completed its seventh manned mission. Among the crew on this last mission was Ed Dwight, a pioneer as the first African-American to apply to be an astronaut in the United States. "It's a life-changing experience," he said upon leaving New Shepard. "I'm completely ecstatic."
Take-off
Crew members of the NS-25 mission, with Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft - Photo Reproduction/Blue Origin
As in previous missions, Blue Origin carried out another suborbital flight, reaching altitudes higher than the Kárman Line, 100 kilometers above Earth, the point conventionally defined as the beginning of space. The journey lasted approximately 10 minutes, during which the crew had the opportunity to experience the absence of gravity on a certain section of the route. This marked Blue Origin's 25th successful rocket launch, the seventh with passengers on board. The flight was attended by six passengers, completely filling New Shepard's capacity.
Featured in the passenger announcement was Ed Dwight, the first African-American to apply for the astronaut program in the United States. Dwight received training from the US Air Force and, in 1963, was recommended for NASA, but was not selected for the position. At 90 years and 8 months, he became the oldest person to travel to space, surpassing the record previously set by William Shatner, the famous actor who played Captain Kirk in "Star Trek", who made the trip at 90 years and 6 months. In addition to Dwight, the other members of the NS-25 flight crew were businessmen Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron and Kenneth L. Hess, retired accountant Carol Schaller, and airline pilot Gopi Thotakura.
Suspension of Missions
Blue Origin's operations were disrupted following an incident during an unmanned flight. In September 2022, a company rocket suffered a failure one minute after takeoff. The anomaly occurred when the rocket was about to reach maximum pressure, known as "Max-Q". The vehicle was traveling at 1,126 km/h and at an altitude of 8,500 meters.
Blue Origin stated at the time that there was a "failure in the propulsion system" of the rocket. As a result of the problem, the capsule (the upper section of the ship) was ejected and remained intact for an emergency landing, as expected in situations of this type. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required the company to conduct an investigation into the incident. In September 2023, the FAA reported that Blue Origin could not resume operations until it made 21 fixes to the New Shepard rocket.
According to the FAA, the investigation pointed to a failure in the rocket engine nozzle, caused by higher temperatures than expected in the equipment. Therefore, Blue Origin was instructed to redesign engine and nozzle components. The company implemented the fixes and carried out a new launch in December 2023. The mission was unmanned and carried only scientific and research payloads and thousands of postcards created by students.
Technological Advances and Security
Blue Origin has stood out not only for the commercial aspect of space exploration, but also for its commitment to security and technological innovation. New Shepard is equipped with advanced technologies that guarantee passenger safety and comfort during the flight. Blue Origin's mission not only represents a return to space after a significant period of pause, but also marks the company's first crewed spaceflight since Bezos' historic flight in July 2022. This milestone reinforces the company's ongoing commitment to space exploration and suborbital tourism.
The success of this mission reaffirms Blue Origin's position as one of the leading companies in the commercial space sector. Furthermore, it demonstrates the growing interest and viability of space tourism, paving the way for future exploration and commercial ventures in space.
