False start for Blue Origin: Jeff Bezos’ space company wants to launch a capsule with research instruments into space, but shortly after the launch the launch vehicle strays from its intended path.
A major incident occurred when a space capsule from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company was launched. Shortly after the launch of an unmanned capsule carrying research equipment in the US state of Texas, the launch vehicle crashed to the ground, according to Blue Origin. The capsule itself was undamaged because it was able to detach itself from its carrier using an emergency system, it said. The system worked as intended.
Blue Origin released a short video on Monday showing the capsule separating from the launch vehicle. She falls to the ground with a parachute from about 8500 meters. The video does not show the impact of the rocket, according to the company no one was hurt. The US aviation authority said it was investigating the incident.
The now failed start of the research capsule was the 23rd flight as part of the “New Shepard” program, named after the first US citizen in space, the astronaut Alan Shepard. All previous launches had been uneventful.
To date, 32 people have traveled into space as part of the program, including Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and former Star Trek actor William Shatner.
(This article was first published on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.)