Blue Origin Aerospace (updates)

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Pathfinder Science Payloads flying on upcoming Blue Origin Mission

 

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Three pathfinder payloads will fly on Blue Origin’s upcoming New Shepard test flight to study different physical processes in microgravity during the ten-minute flight to the edge of space.

 

New Shepard is set for liftoff from its West Texas launch site on Friday, conducting a test flight that continues to push the envelope of the company’s launch system.

 

Friday’s flight is the fourth of this particular Propulsion Module and Crew Capsule in Blue Origin’s continued testing campaign to certify the system for crewed missions which includes flying corner case missions to fully demonstrate the capabilities of the re-usable launch system.

 

In this upcoming flight, the Crew Capsule will attempt a landing with one of its three parachutes disabled and the Propulsion Module is set for a more aggressive landing maneuver with high tilt angles as it homes in for touchdown under the power of its single BE-3 engine.

Indepth analysis and images for the 3 experiments, at the link...

 

http://spaceflight101.com/new-shepard-flight-5-payload-overview/

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Jeff Bezos Update on BE-4 Engine Progress

 

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We’re making multiple copies of the BE-4 to take us through our development campaign, along with a healthy amount of hardware spares to mitigate schedule and technical risks encountered along the way – – a “hardware rich” approach to development.

 

To maintain a fast pace, we’ve elected over the past years to invest heavily in key machines, tooling and people for the production of BE-4 so we can control critical processes in-house.

 

We’ll continue to keep you posted on our progress as this engine comes together.

 

Gradatim Ferociter!

Jeff Bezos

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2016/06/15/jeff-bezos-update-be4-engine-progress/

 

Beginning to slot one of our nozzles. (Credit: Blue Origin)

 

 

Completion of slotting of a main combustion chamber (Credit: Blue Origin)

 

 

Hot firing a 14” diameter preburner (Credit: Blue Origin)

 

[BetaguyGZT]

Good grief, what did make it out of, gold??

[DocM]

Copper (chamber), maybe niobium on the nozzle.

 

In conventional manufacturing the inner chamber wall gets plated with nickel and an external shell with matching slots/grooves is brazed on to create regenerative cooling channels for the fuel. 

 

SpaceX uses Inconel, titanium, niobium, copper, explosive hydroforming and 3D metal printing (electron beam and laser.)

Edited June 16, 2016 by DocM

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Blue Origin to Webcast New Shepard Flight on Sunday Morning

 

BE-3 restarted at 3,635 feet above ground level and ramped fast for a successful landing. (Credit: Blue Origin)

 

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Watch the fourth flight of the same New Shepard hardware this Sunday. Liftoff is planned for approximately 10:15 am ET and the live webcast starts half an hour earlier at 9:45 am ET at www.blueorigin.com.

 

On this flight, we’ll intentionally fail one string of parachutes on the capsule. There are three strings of chutes and two of the three should still deploy nominally and, along with our retrothrust system, safely land the capsule. Works on paper, and this test is designed to validate that. We’ll also use this flight to continue pushing the envelope on the booster.

 

As always, this is a development test flight and anything can happen.

 

Watching a rocket launch (and rocket landing!) might add a little extra fun with the kids on Father’s Day — enjoy.

 

Gradatim Ferociter!

Jeff Bezos

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2016/06/17/blue-origin-webcast-shepard-flight-sunday-morning/

 

 

Webcast link

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Live stream up now.  

 

 

T-33  (so launch about 1030 ET)

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

Smells like a launch....eh!

[Draggendrop Veteran]

T-5 min

 

Looks good so far

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Lift-off

[Draggendrop Veteran]

On the way down

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Booster down...waiting for capsule

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Capsule down, chute test worked.

[DocM]

Yup. 

 

The BE-3 engine is more an upper stage engine that they're getting hours on. The vacuum optimized version, BE-3U, is being developed for use by several companies. Cash cow.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

It's good to see B.O. being more open with the media.

 

Test went well today, look forward to the next test, escape systems.

 

When I get the video , I will post it.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

well...that was great and all.  They're not expecting to make orbital flight until 2020 though?  

[DocM]

Yup. They have to build out their factory at KSC and build the LC-36 launch pad before they can do orbital flights. Just started ground prep on the factory site and LC-36 will be all new, similar to SpaceX's work at Boca Chica. LC-36 concept and today

 

 

Edited June 19, 2016 by DocM

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Launch & Landing Success for Blue Origin’s New Shepard in first Televised Test Flight

 

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Blue Origin’s New Shepard Sub-Orbital Launch Vehicle soared into the skies over West Texas on Sunday in the company’s fifth high-altitude test flight of their reusable launch system, the fourth flight for this particular vehicle.

 

New Shepard ignited its cryogenic BE-3 engine at 14:35 UTC and completed a two-minute propulsive flight phase, lifting the Crew Capsule onto a path taking it above the boundary of space for a brief microgravity flight. While the ascent has become standard business, all eyes were on the descent of the Propulsion Module to a powered landing and the gentle glide of the Crew Module to a parachute-assisted landing with one of its three chutes deliberately disabled.

 

It was the first Blue Origin mission to be webcast live on the Internet via the company’s website in a recent openness as efforts progress towards the start of crewed missions next year, pending outcome of the remaining flight tests.

Indepth analysis on the experiments, at the link...

http://spaceflight101.com/new-shepard-televised-test-success/

 

 

Launch of Blue Origin's Fourth Developmental Flight

video is 12:13 min.

 

 

 

[+John. Subscriber¹]

Nice overall! Couple of things, that oscillation on the capsule when the drogues were deployed would 100% make you barf if you were a standard passenger. 

 

Also doesn't look like the retros deployed either, or weren't they meant to? 

 

The trouble I have with Blue Origin is they seem to be trying to prove that they're astronaut worthy, with the whole "see we're in space 200k up" comments.

[DocM]

The landing rockets deployed. Soyuz does the same thing on landing and looks very similar. Dragon 2 will at first too, until full propulsive is certified, but it will fire the SuperDracos higher up - about 10 meters..

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Bezos wins Heinlein Prize commercial space award

 

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SEATTLE — Jeff Bezos, whose commercial space company Blue Origin recently completed another test flight of its New Shepard reusable suborbital vehicle, is the latest winner of the Heinlein Prize for commercial space achievements, previously won by an archrival.

The Heinlein Prize Trust announced June 21 that Bezos will be the third recipient of the prize, established in the name of the late science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, for his efforts to develop suborbital and orbital launch vehicles to make space more accessible. The award will be formally announced at the NewSpace 2016 conference here.

 

“Under Jeff’s visionary leadership, Blue Origin has developed launch vehicles and a commercially-financed line of engines that pave the way to reusability in space transportation,” said Art Dula, trustee of the Heinlein Prize Trust, in a statement. “As a recipient of the Heinlein Prize, we recognize Jeff and the efforts of the Blue Origin team in its development of technologies that could revolutionize the industry and provide commercially-available launch capabilities to a variety of customers.”

 

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Bezos is the third winner of the prize, first awarded in 2006 to Peter Diamandis for establishing the X Prize that stimulated the development of commercial suborbital reusable launch vehicles. The second winner, in 2011, was SpaceX founder Elon Musk for his development of the now-retired Falcon 1.

 

Musk, like Bezos, is also pursuing reusable launch vehicles, having successfully landed four Falcon 9 first stages on land or on ships for potential reuse. Bezos and Musk have in the past engaged in debates, primarily on Twitter, about the significance of their technical achievements.

 

The prize comes with a cash award that, while not specified in the announcement, was $250,000 when Musk won the prize in 2011. Any cash prize is likely to be a token award for Bezos, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes magazine to be $62 billion.

 

The prize also includes a unique award: a “Lady Vivamus” sword from the Heinlein novel Glory Road. A formal prize award ceremony is planned for Sept. 14 in Washington.

http://spacenews.com/bezos-wins-heinlein-prize-commercial-space-award/

[DocM]

Blue has broken ground in their 750,000 sq/ft (69,677 m2) factory at Cape Canaveral.

 

http://spacenews.com/blue-origin-breaks-ground-on-florida-factory/

 

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Among other things, the facility hosts large scale friction stir welding and automated composite processing equipment,” he wrote. “All of the vehicle will be manufactured in this facility except for the engines. Initial BE-4 engine production will occur at our Kent facility while we conduct a site selection process later this year for a larger engine production facility to accommodate higher production rates.

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Jeff Bezos touts results from Blue Origin spaceship’s test, even with one less chute

 

A photo taken after last month’s flight test of Blue Origin’s New Shepard spaceship highlights the ring of crushable bumpers on the underside of the crew capsule. (Credit: Blue Origin via Jeff Bezos)

 

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Last month’s test flight of a Blue Origin rocket ship to space and back was aimed at seeing how safely it could land even if one of its three parachutes went out. Today, the results got a thumbs-up from Jeff Bezos, who’s the founder of the Blue Origin space venture as well as the Amazon online retailing giant.

 

“We’ve designed the capsule to ensure astronaut safety not just for the failure of one parachute, but even for the failure of two parachutes,” Bezos said in an email update that was addressed to fans and potential spacefliers.

 

The rocket ships are built at Blue Origin’s

 

The uncrewed flight test was conducted June 19 at Blue Origin’s launch facility in West Texas. New Shepard rocketed up just beyond the 100-kilometer (62-mile) boundary of outer space. Then the booster fired up its rocket engine again for a vertical landing, while the crew capsule made a separate descent to Earth.

 

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Just before the touchdown, the capsule’s retro rocket system fired. Bezos said that brought the speed at impact down to 3 mph. The capsule was equipped with a ring of crushable bumpers on its bottom to absorb that remaining force.

 

“Even with one chute out, the crushable barely crushed,” Bezos reported. “When new, the crushable is about 5.5 inches high and can crush down to less than one inch high, providing a constant deceleration force as it crushes. After the mission, the crushable was still over 5 inches high along nearly the entire circumference of the ring.”

 

The “barely crushed” crushable bumpers were taken off the crew capsule and inspected after the flight. (Credit: Blue Origin via Jeff Bezos)

 

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The spacecraft itself didn’t even suffer a fender bender. If astronauts were on board, they would have felt nothing more than a jolt. “In addition to the retrorocket system and the crushable ring, there is an energy-absorbing mechanism mounted underneath each seat,” Bezos explained.

 

The bumpers will be replaced for the next flight, which is likely to take place next month. If Blue Origin’s space program proceeds according to plan, test astronauts will start flying on New Shepard next year. Paying passengers could get on board as early as 2018.

 

The ticket price hasn’t yet been set, and Blue Origin isn’t taking reservations, but the company does let you sign up for more information – including future emails from Bezos.

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-test-chute/

 

 

 

Meanwhile, between launches, Jeff moonlights as an alien.....this is actually pretty neat.....

 

Get a look at Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos as an alien in ‘Star Trek Beyond’

 

Jeff Bezos wears a Starfleet uniform (and heavy makeup) in “Star Trek Beyond.” (Credit: Justin Lin via Twitter)

 

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You’d hardly recognize Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos in the super-heavy makeup he wears as an alien Starfleet official in “Star Trek Beyond,” the latest big-screen voyage of the Starship Enterprise.

 

But just to make sure you’re able to spot him, Bezos posted a Vine video in which you can see him getting a bite while waiting for his scene. “Cheers,” he says into the camera.

 

In a Twitter update, Bezos said the “Star Trek” appearance checked off an item on his bucket list. He also gave a shout-out to director Justin Lin, the cast and the crew.

 

Bucket list. Cast, crew and Justin Lin @trailingjohnson were amazing. #StarTrekBeyond https://t.co/VJ95D8pQeK

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) July 20, 2016

more at the link...

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/jeff-bezos-alien-star-trek-beyond-amazon/

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Blue Origin prepares for October test of in-flight abort system

 

Blue Origin tests the abort system during this Oct. 19, 2012, pad escape test. Photo Credit: Blue Origin
 

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As the New Shepard spacecraft and booster accelerate through the most aerodynamically stressful part of their launch profile, also known as “max Q”, a flight computer detects an anomaly and triggers an in-flight abort. The crew module shoots away from the stricken booster, allowing the gumdrop-shaped capsule to safely return its occupants to a safe recovery. Although notional in description, this is what Blue Origin plans to verify in an early October 2016 test flight of the company’s reusable rocket and spacecraft.

 

The company already performed a pad abort test, nearly four years ago, during which the abort motor fired for nearly 2 seconds and lofted the craft to an altitude of 2,307 feet (703 meters). The capsule landed under its triple-parachute canopy 1,630 feet (497 meters) away from the pad.

 

Unlike the traditional tower-based, towed-tractor style abort systems used during Mercury and Apollo programs – and soon on NASA’s Orion spacecraft riding atop the Space Launch System – Blue Origin’s abort motor is integrated into the crew vehicle and is a “pusher” system: it pushes the capsule from below rather than pulling it from above as with the tower systems.

 

Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft utilizes an integrated abort motor in a “pusher” position, as outlined in this animation. Image Credit: Blue Origin
 

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One of the values of this type of system is the abort motor isn’t jettisoned at the conclusion of the phase of flight for which it was meant. Instead, should it not be needed for a mission, it can be reused for future flights.

 

Eliminating the need to discard the abort system is part of Blue Origin’s efforts to provide a cost-effective, yet safe, spaceflight model.

 

Additionally, in the towed-tractor systems, the crew capsule could not re-enter the atmosphere or deploy parachutes should the tower fail to jettison. Removing this failure mode further enhances New Shepard’s safety margin.

 

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos issued a release announcing the upcoming test and outlined some of the flight test’s parameters and expected outcomes.

 

The booster being used on this test will be the same flight-proven article that has survived multiple trips above the Karman line – the accepted boundary at 62 miles (100 kilometers) above which is considered “space”.

 

As New Shepard approaches 16,000 feet (4,877 meters), approximately 45 seconds after liftoff, a signal will be sent to the craft initiating an in-flight abort. Immediately, the abort motor’s 70,000 pounds (310 kilonewtons) of thrust will propel the capsule hundreds of feet from the booster, and out of the booster’s path.

 

During the acceleration phase of the abort, and subsequent deceleration after motor burnout, the New Shepard craft will transition through transonic velocities twice. Those phases represent critical, and difficult, control regions and represent a key test metric for this event.

 

Following this phase of the test, the capsule will transition to a more nominal descent profile, culminating with the deployment of the vehicle’s main parachutes and touchdown on the desert floor.

 

While the company would like to be able to recover the booster from this test and reward it with a display of honor in a museum, pre-flight simulations indicate this is unlikely, although not impossible, to occur.

 

At the initiation of the abort sequence, the full thrust and exhaust of the motor will be directed upon the forward end of the booster. Additionally, the aerodynamic characteristics of the entire vehicle will abruptly change from a body with a relatively smooth laminar flow to one leading with the less-shapely ring fin.

 

As the booster was never designed to survive an in-flight abort, the chance of a recovery is low. However, Bezos noted the booster will still be heavily laden with propellant, so should a crash be unavoidable, the resultant impact “…will be most impressive.”

 

This test follows the June 19, 2016, one-out parachute test the company performed on the New Shepard spacecraft. That test proved successful and was another step in Blue Origin’s plan to fully test its flight hardware throughout a multitude of failure scenarios.

 

Blue Origin plans to conduct the test in the first part of October and will stream the event live on the Internet.

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/blue-origin/blue-origin-prepares-for-october-test-of-in-flight-abort-system/

 

New Shepard Capsule Escape Animation

video is 1:07 min.

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Blue Origin could bring long-dormant launchpad to life

 

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Blue Origin has asked permission to build at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a launch pad that has been dormant since the 1960's.

 

Billionaire Jeff Bezos' company wants to build on Space Launch Complex 11, which hasn't seen a launch since 1964, and the adjacent Space Launch Complex 36.

 

The plan was revealed in permit applications with the St. Johns River Water Management District, which oversees permitting on that land.

 

The permits hint at a plan to test rockets onsite while launching from the launch pad.

 

Nearly one year ago, Bezos announced that the company would launch rockets from SLC 36.

 

In the permit, the company said it would "construct and operate an orbital launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's (Space Launch Complex) 11 and SLC-36."

 

In the permit application, the company also referenced its efforts to recover launched vehicles, which Blue Origin has done multiple times in west Texas.

 

"The existing launch complex will be updated to include infrastructure to test engines, integrate launch vehicles and launch orbital vehicles as well as support systems to recover and refurbish launch vehicles," the permit read.

 

Blue Origin has been building its 750,000-square-foot orbital vehicle production facility on Florida's Space Coast since breaking ground in June.

 

Bezos said then that the goal was to open the facility, where it will build, test and integrate its rockets, by the end of 2017.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/os-blue-origin-launch-complex-11-20160907-story.html

 

 

 

[Beittil]

Ow my...