Space tourism took another step closer this week when private company Blue Origin successfully tested an escape system for the crew capsule on their New Shepard booster rocket. The company, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, launched the test from its Texas base on Wednesday.
At 45 seconds into the flight, when the rocket had reached 16,000 feet, the emergency system was initiated. The prototype crew capsule, situated on top of the rocket, blasted itself using an emergency engine of its own. It then returned safely to Earth beneath three parachutes.
Surprisingly, the rocket also returned safely to the ground, making a stable upright landing on the launch pad. Although it was designed to do this, engineers had feared the thrust from the escape system would destabilise it. In that event, it was programmed to shut down and fall to Earth, where it would have been destroyed upon impact.
This would have been a pity, as the rocket has flown four previous missions and successfully landed each time. Now it has survived a fifth mission, Blue Origin plans to retire it from active use. It will probably find its way into a museum.
The New Shepard booster is designed to take the crew capsule to the edge of space, where six space tourists at a time can experience micro-gravity. They will also be able to look at our home planet through the largest windows ever flown in space.
On Wednesday’s flight, the windows were not installed, but Blue Origin plans to fly a full test flight of the crew capsule – complete with windows – next year.
