SEATTLE _ Blue Origin's latest unmanned space rocket launch in West Texas Wednesday morning simulated a failure and proved an even bigger success than expected.
In a test of the crew escape system that in an emergency would save any humans aboard the capsule atop the rocket, engineers deliberately triggered the system 45 seconds after liftoff, as if a catastrophic launch failure had occurred.
As planned, the capsule on top of the rocket, propelled by the 70,000 pound thrust of an emergency system engine, soared away from the explosion, at first tumbling wildly along a parabolic arc then stabilizing as small initial parachutes opened to slow its flight.
Just over four minutes after liftoff, it landed softly in the Texas desert, floating to earth under its three main blue-and-red descent parachutes.
The landing was cushioned further by a small burst of thrust from the engine at the base of the capsule.
Meanwhile, the New Shephard booster rocket survived the capsule's explosive release, proceeded on its planned upward journey, then returned to the pad and landed safely as if nothing untoward had happened.
Engineers at Blue Origin _ owned by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and headquartered outside Seattle _ had predicted in advance that the rocket full of fuel could be knocked off its launch and explode in a ball of fire.
They were prepared to sacrifice the rocket for the test. But they didn't have to.
The test makes it five times that this same booster rocket has flown successfully then landed again at the launch pad to be re-used for the next flight.
The test of the emergency capsule system was triggered at the moment of maximum aerodynamic stress after it had risen about 16,000 feet into the air.
When the rocket continued straight up after the capsule separated, engineers throttled back the main engines to allow for the loss of weight at the top of the vehicle, then let it fly an otherwise normal flight.
It landed vertically again just over seven minutes after liftoff.
The test was not without momentary uncertainty and tension. Engineers were forced by some anomaly to pause the countdown just over a minute before liftoff.
As minutes passed with everything on hold, all watching the live webcast heard the announcer say that engineers would have to decide if the launch needed to be "scrubbed for the day."
But about five minutes later, the countdown restarted _ though it was pushed back by another 15 minutes. "We are a go for launch," the announcer happily reassured the audience on the internet.
Blue Origin had said in advance that if the booster managed to survive this flight, it plans to retire the rocket and put it in a museum.
Seattle's Museum of Flight has to be a top candidate to get it. The rocket, about 50 feet tall and sporting Blue Origin's signature black feather logo, would be a big draw to add to the Museum's airplane collection.
