Blue Origin wants to resume space travel ‘soon’
Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin’s rocket flights have been grounded since September 2022 after a plane crash.
During one mission, the rocket’s main stage suffered an anomaly that triggered the capsule’s automatic ejection system. The main stage “crashed the ground” instead of landing in a controlled manner. (illustrative picture)
AFP
Space company Blue Origin said on Friday it wanted to resume flights of its rockets “soon”, but could only do so once the regulator accepted the results of an investigation into the causes of last year’s crash.
Blue Origin’s New Shepherd rocket was specifically used by Jeff Bezos’ company for space tourism flights from Texas, but when it crashed in September 2022, it was only carrying science experiments. The rocket has a single stage and, at its top, a capsule that carries its cargo.
irregularity
During the mission, named NS-23, the main stage suffered an anomaly, triggering the capsule’s automatic ejection system and its parachutes slowly falling to the ground. Blue Origin said at the time that the main stage had “hit the ground running” and would instead be used again as usual.
An investigation was conducted under the supervision of the US Air Regulator (FAA) to determine the cause of the accident. The FAA, requested by AFP, said the investigation is currently “open” and that flights of new Shepard rockets cannot resume until the investigation is officially closed. “The company is currently evaluating the company’s incident report,” he added.
But Blue Origin had already shared the results on Friday: an anomaly at the level of an engine’s nozzle (the tube through which combustion gases are discharged) was caused by a “thermo-structural” problem, resulting in “misalignment”. ” in abundance.
A few minutes of weightlessness
Specifically, this engine component was exposed to higher temperatures than expected, the investigation concluded. “Design changes” to several components should prevent this problem in the future, the company explained.
Blue Origin said it intends to resume flights “soon” by resuming the NS-23 mission, with the same scientific cargo recovered intact. It “landed safely” following the anomaly, thanks to an exhaust system that worked “as expected.”
Blue Origin has sent 32 people into space since July 2021, when Amazon founder Jeff Bezos took part in the first flight. Space tourists can stay weightless for only a few minutes. Virgin Galactic is also involved in these short space tourism missions, but it has not flown anyone since July 2021.
AFP
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