Question: Would it be possible to use Blue Origins "New Shepard" as a 2nd stage?

[badrobit]

I have been pondering if it might be possible that Blue Origin might be designing the New Shepard with an eye to wards using it as a recoverable upper stage with their future heavy lift rockets. I took a quick look at what is known about the New Shepard and compared it to ULA's centaur upper stage and they seemed comparable in the few aspects I could find:



I know enough to know that I have no idea if these factors are enough to suggest this is a possibility but I was hoping that some of the better educated people on this forum might be able to give some purely speculative input.

Thanks!

[Jim]

Mass is too high to be a good upper stage.

[ethan829]

Mass is too high to be a good upper stage.

Even with all the landing hardware removed?

[nadreck]

It also would need a vacuum optimized engine.

[Zed_Noir]

Mass is too high to be a good upper stage.

Even with all the landing hardware removed?

Plus the aerodynamic control hardware.

Also exchanging the mass from the removal of the landing gears & the aerodynamic control hardware for more propellant with slightly bigger tankage.

[hkultala]

Mass is too high to be a good upper stage.

Even with all the landing hardware removed?

Then it would not be reuasable.

And adding a heat shield to make it survive re-entry from orbit would increase the weight even more.

[Paul451]

"Would it be possible to use Blue Origins "New Shepard" as a 2nd stage?"

I assumed that was its purpose.

That BO are building a reusable manned orbital launcher from the top down. First the capsule. Then the hydrolox engine and suborbital test vehicle for a reusable second stage, then a large methalox engine for a reusable first stage.