Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to Launch SpaceX's Falcon 9-Like Rocket

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is gearing up for the maiden flight of its powerful New Glenn rocket, which is designed to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets.

Notably, its been after over a decade of development that Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is finally set to launch its New Glenn rocket.

As of now, Blue Origin has conducted 28 launches in total. Out of these, 27 launches have been successful. The company has primarily focused on suborbital flights with its New Shepard rocket, but the upcoming New Glenn rocket aims to expand their capabilities into the orbital launch market.

This launch marks a significant milestone for Blue Origin as it aims to challenge SpaceX's dominance in the commercial space launch sector.

Key Points:

Launch Date: The New Glenn rocket is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday, January 11, 2025, at 1 a.m. EST.

• Update: Due to the Sea state conditions which are unfavorable for booster landing Blue Origin is shifting its New Glenn-1 launch date by one day to no earlier than January 13.

Rocket Specifications: The New Glenn rocket stands at 321 feet tall and is powered by seven methane-burning BE-4 engines, generating a combined 3.8 million pounds of thrust. The first stage is designed to be reusable.

Payload: The rocket will carry a Blue Origin-designed spacecraft called Blue Ring Pathfinder, which can host or deploy multiple satellites in different orbits.

Landing Attempt: The first stage booster will attempt to land on a custom-built ship named Jacklyn, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX has dominated the commercial launch market with its Falcon 9 rockets, launching 134 Falcon-family rockets in 2024 alone.

If successful, the New Glenn rocket could position Blue Origin as a strong competitor in the commercial space launch sector.

So far, Blue Origin has conducted 28 launches in total. Out of these, 27 launches have been successful, showcasing a strong track record.

Rockets Involved in Launches

1. New Shepard: This is Blue Origin's suborbital rocket designed for space tourism and research missions. It has been successfully launched multiple times.

2. New Glenn: Blue Origin's first orbital-class rocket, named after astronaut John Glenn. It is designed for heavier payloads and aims to compete with SpaceX's Falcon rockets.

3. Charon: The first experimental rocket, named after Pluto's moon.

4. Goddard: Named after the American rocket pioneer Robert Goddard, this rocket was used for early test flights.

This launch marks a significant milestone for Blue Origin as it aims to challenge SpaceX's dominance in the industry.

India-Born Gopi Thotakura Becomes 1st Indian To Go To Space As A Tourist

In a historic moment, India-born Gopi Thotakura's participation in the Blue Origin's New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission marks a significant milestone as he becomes the first Indian citizen to travel to space as a tourist.

The mission, which included a diverse crew, successfully completed its 25th flight, contributing to the advancement of commercial space travel. It's inspiring to see individuals like Gopi Thotakura and the rest of the crew, including the notable former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight, partake in such pioneering journeys. This event not only represents a personal achievement for the crew members but also signifies the growing accessibility of space travel for civilians.

Gopi is a pilot and aviator, and a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He’s co-founder of Preserve Life Corp, a global center for holistic wellness and applied health located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

 

The NS-25 Crew (from left to right) : Gopi Thotakura, Mason Angel, Carol Schaller, Ed Dwight, Ken Hess, and Sylvain Chiron.

Andhra Pradesh born Gopi knows flying jets commercially and he pilots bush, aerobatic, and seaplanes, as well as gliders and hot air balloons, and has served as an international medical jet pilot. Gopi is from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh who later settled in US. He took pilot training there and piloted many commercial jets, skyplanes and air ambulances.

 

The duration of Gopi Thotakura's Blue Origin space flight is not explicitly mentioned in the Blue Origin's press release. However, typical suborbital flights with Blue Origin's New Shepard last approximately 11 minutes from launch to capsule landing. This includes a few minutes of weightlessness in space.

The NS-25 mission marks the seventh human spaceflight for the New Shepard program and the 25th in its history, further advancing the possibilities of commercial space travel.

Blue Origin's New Shepard program is a significant venture in the field of commercial space travel aka Space Tourism. Named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the New Shepard is a fully reusable suborbital rocket system designed from the outset for human flight.

The system is capable of vertical takeoff and landings, providing an 11-minute journey that takes astronauts past the Kármán line, which is the internationally recognized boundary of space at 100 km/62 miles above Earth.

The crew capsule is pressurized and features large windows, offering each space-tourist a window seat and the opportunity to experience several minutes of weightlessness and breathtaking views of Earth.

The New Shepard program has successfully completed multiple missions, including the recent NS-25 mission, marking its seventh human spaceflight and the 25th flight overall for the program. This milestone reflects Blue Origin's ongoing efforts to build a road to space for the benefit of Earth, making space more accessible for research, technology development, and tourism.

Space Tourism: Jeff Bezos To Send Civilians To Space, Offering A Seat In Online Auction

Amazon Inc founder Jeff Bezos-founded aerospace manufacturing and sub-orbital spaceflight services company, Blue Origin LLC, has announced that it would start selling tickets for suborbital flights to the edge of space. 

The first flight of "New Shepard" rocket is scheduled for July 20, and Blue Origin is auctioning off one single ticket to the highest bidder. Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the second man and first American to go to space, New Shepard is Blue Origin’s reusable suborbital rocket system designed to take astronauts and research payloads into space.

The rocket is designed to carry up to six tourists per flight.

The online auction will be held in three parts -- The first phase, from May 5 to May 19, allows people to bid any amount on the website. After May 19, the bids will be unsealed, and on June 12, Blue Origin will hold a live auction to determine the winner.

On July 20th, #NewShepard will fly its first astronaut crew to space. We are offering one seat on this first flight to the winning bidder of an online auction. Anyone can place an opening bid by going to https://t.co/6DpTdTxo36. #GradatimFerociter pic.twitter.com/jBMFYX7xHg

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) May 5, 2021

The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space.

It is to be noted that whoever places the winning bid won’t be the first tourist in space as Dennis Tito, a wealthy American businessman, became history's first space tourist. He reportedly paid $20 million for a seat on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to be the first tourist to visit the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA to Allow Private Firms to Buy Time & Space on the Space Station ISS

The U.S. space agency NASA has announced that it will soon open up parts of the International Space Station (ISS) to more commercial opportunities, allowing companies unprecedented use of the space station’s facilities, including filming commercials or movies against the backdrop of space, reported The Verge.

Once implemented, this will allow private firms across the globe to use ISS for for-profit activities including marketing, advertising, off-Earth manufacturing, and even "Space Tourism".

"We're enabling up to two commercial flights with private astronauts per year," said NASA's ISS Deputy Director, Robyn Gatens. "So, depending on how many seats they want to carry, that would be a dozen or so private astronauts potentially per year on the International Space Station."

Gatens then added, "Private astronauts from other countries can fly through a US entity". That means ISS passenger-guests do not need to hold a US passport or hail from a space-faring nation. They do need to book their training, their ride and their up-to-30-day stay through an American space carrier."

It is to be noted that the space station 'ISS' does not solely belongs to NASA or the U.S. but by four other countries -- Russia, the European Partner, Japan and Canada - who are owners of their respective parts of ISS. As ISS is an assembled entity made up of a number of parts that belong to different countries and NASA would open up the part that is owned by it and not others'.

This move from NASA comes within a month after US billionaire Jeff Bezos unveiled a spacecraft named "Blue Moon", which will land on lunar surface by 2024. The Bezos-founded firm Blue Origin was said to be working on Blue Moon spacecraft for the last three years.

Earlier this year, the chief of Indian space agency ISRO, A S Kiran Kumar, had said that he believes that India has capability, technology and infrastructure to develop its own space station but it needs approval from the government to work on the long-term plan.

Jeff Bezos Unveils "Blue Moon", A Lunar Spacecraft to Take Humans to the Moon's Surface by 2024

It was in September 2000, when Amazon Inc founder Jeff Bezos founded aerospace manufacturing and sub-orbital spaceflight services company Blue Origin LLC, with aims to develop a variety of technologies, with a focus on rocket-powered vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) vehicles for access to suborbital and orbital space.

In an event on 9th May, Bezos revealed the mock-up of spacecraft named "Blue Moon", which will land on lunar surface by 2024. Blue Origin, the company, has been working on Blue Moon spacecraft for the last three years, since well before US vice president Mike Pence announced the directive for NASA to send humans to the moon in 2024.

"It’s time to go back to the Moon, this time to stay," Bezos said at the end of the event. A new lunar lander is a necessary first step.



Designed for use on the Blue Moon mission by 2024, Blue Moon is essentially a robotic space cargo carrier that runs on Hydrogen and can make cargo deliveries to the Moon. Built to deliver science payloads, moon rovers and even astronauts to the lunar surface, the spacecraft can also deploy small satellites into lunar orbit as a "bonus mission" on the way.

Blue Moon is planned to be capable of delivering 4,500 kg (9,900 lb) to the surface of the Moon and can also be used as cargo vehicle to support NASA's outer space activities, or transport payloads of ice from Shackleton Crater, an impact crater that lies at the south pole of the Moon, to support space activities.



The first projected mission for Blue Moon would be a 2024 lunar south pole landing. It is proposed that a series of landings could be used to deliver the infrastructure for a Moon base.

In his speech in the event, Bezos also make a strong suggestion of mining water from lunar ice deposits, as well as potentially harvesting solar power to the moon.

"I think what he was able to do was to show that the lander has multiple capabilities, that it’s kind of a Swiss army knife,” says Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. It will be able to carry rovers, ascent vehicles to launch off the surface of the moon, and maybe even mining equipment," he said.

Sources - Blue Origin, New Scientist, Space.com