The New Shepard rocket, developed by Blue Origin, has completed its third suborbital flight with tourists on board.
New Shepard’s new flight
On June 29, Blue Origin conducted its third manned suborbital flight in two and a half months. There was a group of passengers on board, including a married couple and a lawyer who had previously had problems with the law.
The New Shepard rocket launched from Launch Pad 1 in West Texas at 10:40 a.m. Eastern as part of the NS-33 mission. The two previous attempts, on June 21 and 22, were canceled due to weather conditions. This time, Blue Origin delayed the launch by more than an hour, citing cloud cover, but it eventually took place.
The carrier returned to the launch pad 7.5 minutes after launch. Three minutes later, the capsule also landed.
Blue Origin’s ambitions
There were six people on board this time, which is standard for New Shepard tourist flights. And actually, it’s pretty good, because it shows that the company is doing great.
Blue Origin has not provided a public estimate of the number of launches it plans to conduct with its suborbital vehicle this year. The company’s chief executive, Dave Limp, said at a conference in May that New Shepard flights were “good business,” even though the company was focusing more on its New Glenn orbital rocket, Blue Moon lunar lander, and other projects.
Overall, suborbital tourist flights do not seem to be such a complicated task. However, over the past 20 years, there have been numerous promises to make them regular. As of now, these are mostly just promises, although Blue Origin, more than anyone else, is currently closest to finally making them a reality.
According to spacenews.com
