Blue Origin has abandoned its intention to use the Jacklyn vessel to land the first stages of the New Glenn rocket. The ship has already departed from the port of Pensacola (Florida), where it spent the last few years, to the port of Brownsville (Texas). Judging by the available documents, it will be disposed of and dismantled for scrap there.
In 2018, Blue Origin bought the cargo ship Stena Freighter from the European ferry operator Stena Line. It was announced that it would undergo modernization at the Pensacola shipyards, after which it would be used to land the first stages of the Blue Origin rocket. In December 2020, Blue Origin owner Jay Bezos even held a special ceremony, renaming the ship Jacklyn in honor of his mother. At the same time, it was reported that the ship’s conversion would be completed in a year.
However, apart from minor preparatory work, Blue Origin has not started the modernization of the vessel. Recently, representatives of the company admitted that they are considering other options for using the ship. It is also reported that the ship left the home port and headed to the port of Brownsville. According to the American press, which has gained access to the documents of the shipyard, Jacklyn will be disposed of there. Ironically, the port is located near the Boca Chica test site, which is SpaceX’s main test center.
It is also reported that instead of using large ships, Blue Origin decided to use small autonomous barges like those used by SpaceX to land the steps. According to some reports, Blue Origin has already turned to the same company that at one time carried out a similar order for SpaceX.
The New Glenn rocket is Blue Origin’s own development. According to the company, it will be able to take up to 45 tons of cargo to low orbits (LEO) and up to 14 tons to geotransfer. The first stage of the rocket will be reusable, in the future Blue Origin also expects to create a reusable version of the second stage. Initially, the operation of New Glenn was supposed to begin in 2020, but these deadlines were repeatedly shifted. At the moment, the first launch of the new rocket is scheduled for 2023.
According to https://www.teslarati.com
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