Budding space tourism company Blue Origin has announced that, following a long development programme, it will conduct its first crewed New Shepard flight on 20 July. The announcement, on 5 May 2021, was timed to mark the 60th anniversary of the launch – on 5 May...
At 1556 GMT on 14 April, Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital launch vehicle and Mk 3 version of the capsule made another successful uncrewed launch beyond the Karman Line official limit of space (100km). The actual altitude reached a peak at 106 km over the Van...
NASA’s much delayed and very expensive SLS heavy-lift launch vehicle (HLV) has coming under renewed criticism as SpaceX’s partly reusable commercial HLV has advanced into its stage testing programme (the main super-booster stage is nearly constructed while the...
With just over one quarter of the funding it needed from Congress (US$850 million versus the US$3.2 billion requested) for its Human Landing System (HLS) – a lunar lander for its Artemis programme – NASA has been forced to delay the programme. The three...
Jeff Bezos, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the online delivery company Amazon, has decided to relinquish his role as CEO. Bezos will remain on the board of the company as Executive Chairman but hopes that his move will free up his time to concentrate on...
At 1717 GMT on 14 January, Blue Origin conducted a test flight from their Van Horn, Texas, facility. The subject was a re-engined version of the New Shepard vertically-launched, suborbital, spaceflight system. Additionally the mission was also evaluating a new capsule...
