Blue Origin's New Shepard system features a single booster topped with a crew capsule designed to carry paying space tourists to the edge of outer space, about 60 miles above Earth's surface, the release said.
"There were 12 payloads onboard including the Deorbit, Descent and Landing Sensor Demonstration under the NASA Tipping Point partnership. The lunar landing sensor demo … will enable long-term lunar exploration, as well as future Mars missions", the release said.
Tipping point refers to NASA deals with 14 US companies, including Blue Origin, for technology and equipment to place two American astronauts on the Moon by 2024 and later send humans to Mars.
After separating, the capsule floats for a few minutes in microgravity before returning to Earth with parachutes while the reusable booster rocket lands on its own, the release added.