Space travel pioneer Jeff Bezos sets off on a journey aboard his personally developed rocketcraft.
Jeff Bezos, Space Tourism Pioneer, Blasts Off on Blue Origin's New Shepard
Get ready for liftoff! Jeff Bezos, the brain behind Amazon and now the creator of space tourism, is gearing up for an out-of-this-world adventure. Accompanying him on this historic journey is his brother, Mark Bezos. Buckle up for takeoff on July 20!
Remember those childhood dreams of space travel? Well, Jeff Bezos has been harboring those dreams since the tender age of five, according to Naked Science. Now, thanks to Blue Origin, those dreams are becoming a reality.
The New Shepard spacecraft, named after the first American astronaut in space, Alan Shepard, will be making its first manned flight. A well-deserved shout-out to this trailblazing suborbital launch vehicle designed for space tourism! Previously, it has completed a fascinating 15 test launches, all of them successful or partially successful. Blue Origin's latest flight test took place on April 14.
New Shepard boasts a distinctive design: a reusable single-stage rocket launching a manned capsule. The capsule's journey to space and back is enhanced by the use of parachutes for landing and an emergency rescue system for added peace of mind.
While we celebrate this groundbreaking space voyage, Blue Origin is also working on something more ambitious: the heavy-lift reusable New Glenn rocket. With a concept similar to SpaceX's famed Falcon 9, the New Glenn carrier will take center stage in missions such as satellite launches, space station resupply, and cargo transport. The first flight of New Glenn is scheduled for 2022, though, as with any ambitious project, delays are a possibility.
Strap in, space enthusiasts! Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark are about to embark on an expedition beyond our wildest dreams. Keep an eye out for updates on New Shepard and New Glenn as Blue Origin forges ahead in the race for space exploration.
Did You Know?
- New Shepard is a suborbital launch vehicle, taking tourist passengers to the edge of space, providing a brief experience beyond the Karman line, the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.
- First crewed mission, NS-16, took place on July 20, 2021, carrying Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen to suborbital space.
- New Glenn is a heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle, designed to support various missions such as satellite launches, space station resupply, and cargo transport. It also serves as the main launch vehicle for the Orbital Reef space station project.
- Both New Glenn and SpaceX's Falcon 9 are reusable, significantly reducing the cost barrier for space missions.
- Jeff Bezos, renowned for his ventures in technology, is preparing for a suborbital space flight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard in 2021, which was conceptualized as a spacecraft for space tourism.
- Together with his brother, Mark Bezos, and other passengers, Jeff Bezos aims to experience the extents of space-and-astronomy, going beyond the Karman line, the recognized boundary of space.
- Spacecraft like New Shepard and SpaceX's Falcon 9, both featuring reusable technology, demonstrate the advancements in the field of science and technology, potentially lowering the cost of space missions and making space travel more accessible.
- In addition to their ongoing missions, Blue Origin is planning the first flight of the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket in 2022, which, similar to the Falcon 9, will support various space missions, such as satellite launches and cargo transportation.
