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Human spaceflight programs have been conducted, started, or planned by multiple countries and companies. The age of crewed rocket flight was initiated by Fritz von Opel who piloted the world's first rocket-propelled flight on 30 September 1929. All space flights depend on rocket technology; von Opel was the co-designer and financier of the visionary project. Until the 21st century, human spaceflight programs were sponsored exclusively by governments, through either the military or civilian space agencies. With the launch of the privately funded SpaceShipOne in 2004, a new category of human spaceflight programs – commercial human spaceflight – arrived. By the end of 2022, three countries and one private company (SpaceX) had successfully launched humans to Earth orbit, and two private companies had launched humans on a suborbital trajectory.
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Blue Origin Enterprises, L.P. is an American aerospace manufacturer, defense contractor, launch service provider and space technologies company headquartered in Kent, Washington, United States. The company makes rocket engines for United Launch Alliance (ULA) and manufactures their own rockets, spacecraft, satellites, and heavy-lift launch vehicles. The company is the second provider of lunar lander services for NASA's Artemis program and was awarded a $3.4 billion contract. The company has four rocket engines in production including the BE-3U, BE-3PM, BE-4 and the BE-7.
A launch escape system (LES) or launch abort system (LAS) is a crew-safety system connected to a space capsule. It is used in the event of a critical emergency to quickly separate the capsule from its launch vehicle in case of an emergency requiring the abort of the launch, such as an impending explosion. The LES is typically controlled by a combination of automatic rocket failure detection, and a manual activation for the crew commander's use. The LES may be used while the launch vehicle is still on the launch pad, or during its ascent. Such systems are usually of three types:
New Shepard is a fully reusable sub-orbital launch vehicle developed for space tourism by Blue Origin. The vehicle is named after Alan Shepard, who became the first American to travel into space and the fifth person to walk on the Moon. The vehicle is capable of vertical takeoff and landings. Additionally, it is also capable of carrying humans and customer payloads into a sub-orbital trajectory.
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Blue Origin NS-16 was a sub-orbital spaceflight mission operated by Blue Origin which flew on 20 July 2021. The mission was the sixteenth flight of the company's New Shepard integrated launch vehicle and spacecraft, and its first crewed flight. It carried into space American billionaire and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, pilot and Mercury 13 member Wally Funk, and Dutch student Oliver Daemen. The flight commenced from Blue Origin's Corn Ranch sub-orbital launch site in West Texas aboard the third flight of New Shepard booster NS4 and the spacecraft RSS First Step, both having previously flown on NS-14 and NS-15 earlier in the year.
RSS First Step is a New Shepard space capsule, built and operated by American spaceflight company Blue Origin. It is the third New Shepard capsule to fly to space, and the first to fly passengers. Its first flight was the NS-14 mission, which reached an altitude of 107 km (66 mi) on 14 January 2021.
Blue Origin NS-19 was a crewed New Shepard sub-orbital spaceflight mission operated by Blue Origin that launched on 11 December 2021. The flight was scheduled to launch on 9 December 2021, later delayed to 11 December 2021.
Blue Origin NS-23 was an uncrewed sub-orbital spaceflight mission of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, which launched on 12 September 2022. The booster failed during max q about a minute after launch, triggering the launch escape system which removed the capsule from the booster. The capsule landed successfully, while the booster was destroyed upon impact with the ground.
Gary Lai is an American aerospace engineer. He was the chief architect for New Shepard, a vehicle developed by aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin for space tourism. On March 31, 2022, he flew on New Shepard's 20th mission to space, NS-20. He is a Co-Founder and the Chief Technology Officer of a company called Interlune.
Blue Origin NS-24 was an uncrewed sub-orbital spaceflight mission of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, which launched on 20 December 2023. It was New Shepards first flight in over a year since the failure of Blue Origin NS-23. It was Blue Origin's 24th overall flight to go into space.
Blue Origin NS-17 was an uncrewed sub-orbital spaceflight mission of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, which launched on 26 August 2021. It was New Shepards 4th flight in 2021. It was also Blue Origin's 17th overall flight to go into space.
References
- ↑ Replay - New Shepard Mission NS-15 Webcast , retrieved 2024-01-12
- ↑ "Blue Origin Conducts Astronaut Rehearsal for Future Customer Flights". Blue Origin. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ↑ "Blue Origin Conducts Astronaut Rehearsal for Future Customer Flights". Blue Origin. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ↑ updated, Meghan Bartels last (2021-04-14). "Blue Origin aces 'astronaut rehearsal' New Shepard test flight". Space.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ↑ Gebhardt, Chris (2021-04-14). "Blue Origin succeeds in 15th New Shepard flight, critical test before carrying humans". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ↑ updated, Meghan Bartels last (2021-04-14). "Blue Origin aces 'astronaut rehearsal' New Shepard test flight". Space.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ↑ Gebhardt, Chris (2021-04-14). "Blue Origin succeeds in 15th New Shepard flight, critical test before carrying humans". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ↑ "Blue Origin Conducts Astronaut Rehearsal for Future Customer Flights". Blue Origin. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ↑ Replay - New Shepard Mission NS-15 Webcast , retrieved 2024-01-12
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