Blue Origin is an aerospace research and development company working on
spacecraft and launch systems. It was founded by Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos.
NEWS.... Blue Origin Completes Pad Escape Test.
NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) partner
Blue Origin conducted a successful pad escape test Oct. 19 at the company's West
Texas launch site in Van Horn, firing its pusher-escape motor and launching a
full-scale suborbital crew capsule from a simulated propulsion module.
The test was part of Blue Origin's work supporting its funded Space Act
Agreement with NASA during Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2).
Blue Origin is developing technologies to enable human access to space at
increased reliability and dramatically lower cost. Blue Origin are currently focused on
developing reusable launch vehicles utilizing rocket-powered Vertical Take-off
and Vertical Landing (VTVL) technology.
Suborbital
New Shepard Vehicle
The New Shepard system is being developed by Blue Origin.
New Shepard vehicle will provide opportunities for researchers to fly
experiments into space and a microgravity environment. It will take astronauts to
space on suborbital flights.
The New Shepard vehicle will carry a Crew Capsule
carrying three or more astronauts atop a separate rocket-powered Propulsion
Module that will be launched from their West Texas Launch Site.
Following liftoff, the combined vehicles accelerate for approximately two and a
half minutes. The Propulsion Module then shuts off its rocket engines and
separates from the Crew Capsule. The Propulsion Module will finish its flight,
descend to Earth and autonomously perform a rocket-powered vertical landing.
The Crew Capsule will go on to coast to the edge of space, providing astronauts
with a view to the curvature of the Earth and the beauty of our planet. After
descent and reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, the Crew Capsule will land under
parachutes near the launch site.
Reusable 1st Stage
Blue Origin is developing a reusable first-stage booster. It will take-off
vertically like a conventional booster rocket and lift the upper stages to a
conventional suborbital staging point, where the upper stage will separate and
continue to propel the astronauts to orbit.
The first stage booster once separated will descend to perform a powered
vertical landing similar to the New Shepard Propulsion Module. Then the orbital
booster can be refueled and launched again, allowing improved reliability and
lowering the cost of human access to space.
Orbital Reusable Booster System
The booster rocket will loft a biconic Space Vehicle to orbit, carrying
astronauts and supplies for adventure, science research, and exploration. After
orbiting the Earth, the Space Vehicle will reenter Earth’s atmosphere to land on
land under parachutes, and then be reused on future missions to Earth orbit.
History
Founded in September 2000.
The company was awarded $3.7 million in funding in 2009 by NASA under the
Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program for development of concepts and
technologies to support future human spaceflight operations.
