blue origin’s reusable new shepard rocket booster successfully lands in west texas
all images courtesy of blue origin

 

 

 

 

spaceflight company blue origin has successfully landed their reusable rocket ’new shepard’ at a launch site in west texas. the vehicle reached an altitude of 100 km before returning to it’s booster landing position. the favorable outcome is the result of the rockets unique top ring fin, that helped control reentry. in addition, eight drag brakes were deployed to reduce the terminal speed of 623 km/h and small hydraulically actuated thrusters steered the vehicle through high altitude crosswinds to a location precisely aligned with the landing pad.

 


the successfully landing of ‘new shepard’
video courtesy of blue origin 

 

 

 

once 1.5 km above earth, the throttle-able main engine re-ignited to slow the rocket down onto the landing gear. the ‘new shepard’ vehicle allows blue origin to fly repeated missions again and again, and marks progress towards commercial space flight. the program will continuously improve the affordability of space exploration and research, and open space for all.

blue-origin-new-shepard-reusable-rocket-landing-designboom-02 the mission arrangement blue-origin-new-shepard-reusable-rocket-landing-designboom-03 the ‘new shepard’ carried to the launch siteblue-origin-new-shepard-reusable-rocket-landing-designboom-04 the launch of the rocket in west texasblue-origin-new-shepard-reusable-rocket-landing-designboom-05 the capsule landingblue-origin-new-shepard-reusable-rocket-landing-designboom-06 the celebrations after the successful landing