Blue Origin will attempt another launch of their NS-27 uncrewed verification flight debuting Blue Origin’s second human-rated vehicle to meet growing customer demand on Wednesday, October 9th, at 6:00 AM – 1:30 PM PDT. On Monday the flight was scrubbed due to technical difficulty.
Blue Origin’s NS-27 will fly 12 payloads — 12 research payloads, five of them on the booster and seven inside the capsule. Payloads include new navigation systems developed for New Shepard and New Glenn; two different LIDAR sensors for the Lunar Permanence program; ultra-wideband proximity operations sensors flying as part of a NASA TechFlights grant with Blue Origin’s Space Systems Development group; and a commercial payload that is a reproduction of black monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The monoliths are flying on behalf of Spacemanic for a special edition printed by Croatian publisher Amaranthine Books.
Eight of the vehicle’s 26 flights to date have been crewed using the same New Shepard vehicle — the Booster 4/RSS First Step combo. This second human-rated spacecraft will enable “expanded flight capacity to better meet growing customer demand,” according to the the company’s statement.
The new crew capsule is named RSS Kármán Line. The vehicle features technology upgrades to improve the vehicle’s performance and reusability, an updated livery, and accommodations for payloads on the booster.
The launch will take place at West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch which has witnessed the launch of 26 rockets, including 0 orbital launch attempts.
The forecast calls for a temperature of 66° F, clear skies, 0% cloud cover and a wind speed of 6 mph.
Bezos scrubs Blue Origin’s uncrewed NS-27 mission on Monday
Jeff Bezos‘ plan to launch the uncrewed NS-27 mission Monday morning (October 7), to send a New Shepard rocket-capsule combo on a brief trip to suborbital space were scrubbed due to technical issues. A new date has not yet been announced that will launch from the company’s West Texas site.
“We’re going to scrub the launch for today. They’re troubleshooting a vehicle issue that will basically take us outside our available launch window,” Joel Eby, creative director at Blue Origin, said during the company’s launch webcast on Monday.
“Always disappointing to get to this point,” Eby added. “But, you know, we want to make sure all these systems are completely ready to go and be certain about the launch conditions for flight.”
12:14 PM CDT
We’re standing down on today’s launch attempt to troubleshoot a vehicle issue that would’ve taken us beyond our launch window. New launch target forthcoming.
10:25 AM CDT
New Shepard is going through final checks in advance of today’s uncrewed verification flight. We’re running a bit ahead of schedule. The NS-27 launch window will open at 11:00 AM CDT / 16:00 UTC. Webcast begins 15 minutes prior to liftoff on blueorigin.com/live.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard ready to test NS-27 the newest booster on Monday’s launch
On Monday, October 7th, at 6:00 AM – 1:30 PM PDT, Blue Origin plans the launch of the twenty-seventh flight of New Shepard from West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch , which will be flying unmanned as a test for the newest booster. NS-27 will fly 12 payloads—five on the booster and seven inside the crew capsule.
NS-27 will mark the debut of the second human-rated New Shepard vehicle, which consists of a first stage known as Booster 5 and a crew capsule named RSS Kármán Line. (The Kármán line is the 62-mile-high boundary that many people regard as the start of outer space.)
The new crew capsule is named RSS Kármán line. The vehicle features technology upgrades to improve the vehicle’s performance and reusability, an updated livery, and accommodations for payloads on the booster.
West Texas Suborbital Launch Site/ Corn Ranch has witnessed the launch of 26 rockets, including 0 orbital launch attempts, while Corn Ranch, Van Horn, Texas, has been the site for 26 rocket launches.
The forecast calls for a temperature of 64°F, clear skies, 0% cloud cover and a wind speed of 3mph.
Blue Origin Debuts Second Human-Rated New Shepard Rocket To Meet Demand
Blue Origin’s next New Shepard flight, NS-27, will debut our second human-rated vehicle, enabling expanded flight capacity to better meet growing customer demand. The launch window for the uncrewed verification flight opens on Monday, October 7, at 8:00 AM CDT / 1300 UTC. The webcast will begin 15 minutes before liftoff on BlueOrigin.com.
The new crew capsule is named RSS Kármán Line. The vehicle features technology upgrades to improve the vehicle’s performance and reusability, an updated livery, and accommodations for payloads on the booster. New Shepard remains one of the most sustainable rockets ever to fly to space. Nearly 99% of New Shepard’s dry mass is reused, including the booster, capsule, engine, landing gear, and parachutes.
NS-27 will fly 12 payloads — five on the booster and seven inside the crew capsule. Payloads include new navigation systems developed for New Shepard and New Glenn; two different LIDAR sensors for the Lunar Permanence program; ultra-wideband proximity operations sensors flying as part of a NASA TechFlights grant with Blue Origin’s Space Systems Development group; and a commercial payload that is a reproduction of black monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The monoliths are flying on behalf of Spacemanic for a special edition printed by Croatian publisher Amaranthine Books.
The mission will also carry tens of thousands of student-designed postcards on behalf of Club for the Future, Blue Origin’s STEAM-focused nonprofit whose mission is to inspire and mobilize future generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The organization has engaged more than 43 million students globally since its founding in 2019.