At the #FTSpace event this morning, Blue Origin's Bob Smith says New Shepard should be ready to return to flight "in the next few weeks" as the company finishes up work with FAA, nine months after an in-flight anomaly.
Blue Origin is working toward flying its New Shepard spacecraft early next month for the first time since an in-flight failure a year ago.
The company's tentative plans call for an uncrewed test flight to occur in early October. If all goes well, Blue Origin is then planning its first crewed mission since August 4, 2022, to take place in mid-February of next year.
We’re targeting a launch window that opens on Dec. 18 for our next New Shepard payload mission. #NS24 will carry 33 science and research payloads as well as 38,000 @clubforfuture postcards to space. #FortheBenefitofEarth
Welcome onboard New Shepard, Rob! It’s been an honor to fly five previous payloads from @UF’s Space Plants Lab. We’re thrilled you’re joining us again—this time on a crewed flight *with* your research.
.@UF_IFAS' Dr. Rob Ferl will be the first @NASA-funded academic researcher to conduct an experiment as a crew member on @blueorigin's upcoming #NewShepard mission. His journey will pave the way for more science experiments — and Gators — in space. 🚀 🌱https://news.ufl.edu/2024/04/ferl-blue-origin/news.ufl.eduUniversity of Florida Scientist to Fly on Blue Origin Suborbital Mission
Excited to team with SERA, the Space Exploration & Research Agency, to support such an inspiring initiative that makes space more accessible to so many countries! We’re looking forward to flying these future astronauts on #NewShepard and hearing their perspectives about the wonders of space.
SERA is excited to announce a partnership with @BlueOrigin to develop a human space flight program for citizens of nations who have historically lacked access to space. Our first mission has reserved all six seats on a New Shepard flight.http://sera.space/pressrelease
July 1, 2024 - The Space Exploration & Research Agency (SERA) today announced that India, Nigeria, and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will each be allotted a seat on the mission, marking a significant milestone for nations who have historically lacked access to space and paving the way for innovation and advancement within these regions. Notably, the mission will also celebrate the historic achievement of the first Nigerian citizen to embark on a space voyage. The remaining seat assignments for underrepresented countries will be revealed later this year.In a first for the industry, the global public will vote on who flies on SERA’s upcoming mission to space on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. Today, more than 80% of astronauts have come from just three countries. SERA is aiming to break down structural barriers to space and make spaceflight and scientific research more accessible and inclusive.Earlier this year, SERA formed a strategic partnership with Blue Origin to purchase six seats onboard a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. Five of the seats are allocated to partner nations that have never had an astronaut or very few. The sixth seat will be open to a person from any partner nation. Anyone can apply and be selected by the voting public.SERA’s first achievement toward making space accessible to all was demonstrated on June 4, 2022, when the company sent Victor Hespanha, a 28-year-old civil engineer from Minas Gerais, Brazil, to space on NS-21, Blue Origin’s fifth crewed flight. He became the second Brazilian to fly to space.“Expanding the horizons of space discovery goes beyond the astronauts themselves,” said Sam Hutchison, Co-founder of SERA. “Building an inclusive space ecosystem means bringing our entire community along for the ride.”“Our future in space should reflect the diversity on Earth,” said Phil Joyce, SVP, New Shepard. “This program is an important step in making space accessible to new and emerging spacefaring nations and inspiring people within—and beyond—their borders.”
#Space #UpdateUS-based agency Space Exploration and Research Agency (#SERA) & BlueOrigin, Monday announced India as a partner nation in their human spaceflight prog for citizens from countries who have sent few or no astronauts to space. 1/nPic: Blue OriginSERA will offer citizens from across the world six seats on a future mission of New Shepard, Blue Origin’s reusable suborbital rocket. 2/nLast month, in an exclusive interview with me, the founders of SERA, Joshua Skurla and Sam Hutchison had said they were keen on partnering with India too. 3/n“...One of the things we love about India as a potential partner country is all of its space infrastructure and activity. India can take a leadership role among other nations and demonstrate its strength and leadership, which has kept our interest,” Skurla had said. 4/nOn Monday, SERA said New Shepard will fly selected astronauts on an 11-min journey past the Kármán line (100 km), the internationally recognised boundary of space. Astronauts will experience several mins of weightlessness before a controlled descent back to the landing pad. 5/n“We’re excited to have India as part of our human spaceflight programme. India has achieved remarkable milestones in its space journey the past few years, including becoming the first country to reach the Moon’s south pole region… 6/n…We want to make space accessible for everyone and are happy to offer this unique opportunity to an Indian citizen who wants to experience the wonders of space travel,” Skurla said. 7/nAny Indian citizen can register for the programme by paying a fee of around $2.5 to cover the costs of verification checks that ensure safe and fair voting. The final candidates will be voted on by the public for an opportunity to fly to space onboard the New Shepard mission. 8/n“Our mission is to democratise space by enabling citizens from over 150 countries with limited access to space to participate in research and create history. Our aim is to empower people globally to have a voice and stake in the future of space exploration,” Skurla said. 9/nThe potential astronauts will be required to meet Blue Origin’s physical requirements. They can garner votes by telling their story to the public using their mission profile pages, social media, and other resources. 10/nVoting will progress through candidate elimination across three phases. The public will vote only for candidates from their nation or region, except for the sixth global seat. 11/n“By giving communities the power to choose their astronauts, we ensure this mission is driven by people, for people. This approach will ignite national conversations on space and foster international collaboration in space exploration… 12/nThe minimal physical requirements and training for New Shepard’s flight lowers the barrier to entry by allowing more diverse and inclusive participation in space,” Hutchison said. 13/nPhil Joyce, SVP, New Shepard, said the programme exemplifies their commitment to making space accessible to everyone. The final six crew will arrive three days prior to the flight for training at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas. n/n
I’m so excited to share that I’ll be flying to space with @blueorigin 💙🪶I’ll become one of the first ~100 women in space and the first female astronaut from West Virginia.
Operation Start Date: 11/01/2024Operation End Date: 01/01/2025
https://twitter.com/davill/status/1842197447432634657QuoteWe are looking forward to this mission—and expanding our flight cadence in the coming months.
We are looking forward to this mission—and expanding our flight cadence in the coming months.
New Shepard #NS27 is an uncrewed verification flight debuting our second human-rated vehicle to meet growing customer demand. The launch window opens on Monday, October 7, at 8:00 AM CDT / 13:00 UTC: https://bit.ly/3XPzxrX
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 10/04/2024 01:40 pmhttps://twitter.com/davill/status/1842197447432634657QuoteWe are looking forward to this mission—and expanding our flight cadence in the coming months.Not before time … more bad news for Virgin Galactic
They don't say but the implication is a new propulsion module as well as a new crew capsule?