Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has taken a significant step closer to its maiden voyage after successfully test-firing its seven main engines at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The engine firing lasted for 38 seconds and marked the final major test of the rocket before launch day.
The test was seen as a crucial milestone in the preparation for New Glenn's first operational flight. According to Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, the company is making good progress towards certifying the rocket for high-priority government launches. In fact, Limp expressed his enthusiasm for seeing the rocket's engines come alive, hailing it as a "hotfire" success.
The test firing demonstrated that the New Glenn rocket's seven BE-4 main engines operated at full power for 22 seconds, producing nearly 3.9 million pounds of thrust. This data is expected to help Blue Origin engineers better understand the interactions between active and inactive engine feedlines during landing sequences.
Reusability has been a key focus for Blue Origin as it develops its New Glenn rocket. The company aims to recover the first stage on subsequent flights, with plans to reuse this booster on the third launch early next year. However, missing the landing on the inaugural mission in January has put some pressure on meeting these goals.
Meanwhile, NASA has secured a deal with Blue Origin for $20 million to launch its Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission. While this is less than what would have been spent on a dedicated launch on another rocket, the risks are higher due to New Glenn's unproven track record.
The ESCAPADE spacecraft, built by Rocket Lab, are designed to study the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere of Mars. The twin probes will loiter near Earth until next November before embarking on their journey to the red planet in September 2027. This ambitious mission aims to explore a relatively low-cost Solar System program that could pave the way for future NASA missions.
With this test firing, Blue Origin has moved one step closer to sending its New Glenn rocket into space and making it an integral part of NASA's scientific endeavors. The company is now poised to make history as it embarks on the next stage of its ambitious space exploration plans.
The test was seen as a crucial milestone in the preparation for New Glenn's first operational flight. According to Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, the company is making good progress towards certifying the rocket for high-priority government launches. In fact, Limp expressed his enthusiasm for seeing the rocket's engines come alive, hailing it as a "hotfire" success.
The test firing demonstrated that the New Glenn rocket's seven BE-4 main engines operated at full power for 22 seconds, producing nearly 3.9 million pounds of thrust. This data is expected to help Blue Origin engineers better understand the interactions between active and inactive engine feedlines during landing sequences.
Reusability has been a key focus for Blue Origin as it develops its New Glenn rocket. The company aims to recover the first stage on subsequent flights, with plans to reuse this booster on the third launch early next year. However, missing the landing on the inaugural mission in January has put some pressure on meeting these goals.
Meanwhile, NASA has secured a deal with Blue Origin for $20 million to launch its Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission. While this is less than what would have been spent on a dedicated launch on another rocket, the risks are higher due to New Glenn's unproven track record.
The ESCAPADE spacecraft, built by Rocket Lab, are designed to study the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere of Mars. The twin probes will loiter near Earth until next November before embarking on their journey to the red planet in September 2027. This ambitious mission aims to explore a relatively low-cost Solar System program that could pave the way for future NASA missions.
With this test firing, Blue Origin has moved one step closer to sending its New Glenn rocket into space and making it an integral part of NASA's scientific endeavors. The company is now poised to make history as it embarks on the next stage of its ambitious space exploration plans.
. Like, if they can't even get it right on their first launch, how are they gonna make it work on subsequent flights? And what's up with the ESCAPADE mission? $20 million is like a drop in the bucket for NASA, but I guess it's still a risk worth taking... or is it? 
Maybe they're just trying to test the waters, but if that's the case, they're gonna have to pull off some seriously impressive feats to make it all pay off 
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blue origin just passed the final test for their new glenn rocket and i am literally so hyped!!!! 
they got that engine firing done in like 38 seconds and now we're one step closer to seeing blaster take off into space!!!! 
i mean can u even imagine being able to reuse that booster on subsequent flights? it's like, totally a game changer for space travel!!!! 
and the fact that nasa just secured a deal with blue origin for $20 million to launch escapade is just the icing on the cake!!!! 
so what I think is crazy is how much pressure blue origin is under, they gotta get this launch right or it's gonna be a major letdown for them and also for nasa, but at the same time, $20 million is still a decent amount of cash to be making on one launch, especially considering it's not even on their own rocket 
I'm all about reusability and making space travel more affordable 
also, that escapade mission sounds like a game-changer for NASA 
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