Blue Origin has announced its return to the skies with an uncrewed suborbital test flight scheduled for as early as next week.
The aerospace company, known for its New Shepard rocket designed to carry tourists to the edge of space, experienced a setback in September 2022 when an engine failure occurred approximately a minute into the flight from its private facility in West Texas.
The upcoming flight, slated to occur next Monday, will not carry passengers but will instead transport 33 science payloads. Blue Origin expressed confidence in its ability to resume passenger flights after the successful completion of this suborbital test.
Following the 2022 failure, Blue Origin conducted a comprehensive investigation, revealing that the engine nozzle had experienced temperatures beyond the anticipated values. The company promptly initiated design changes, aiming to rectify the issue and return to flight operations.
Jeff Bezos, who had previously flown on New Shepard's inaugural crewed flight in 2021, expressed optimism about the company's future endeavors. Blue Origin had successfully completed five missions with people on board, including high-profile individuals like William Shatner and Michael Strahan.
Beyond its space tourism pursuits, Blue Origin is actively working on the development of its larger and more potent rocket, New Glenn. The ambitious project aims to compete for both government and commercial contracts, including satellite launches. However, the development of New Glenn has encountered delays, leading Amazon, which is part of Bezos's ventures, to secure launches from Blue Origin's competitor SpaceX to meet satellite constellation deadlines.