Blue Origin, a private space company by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has completed a test flight of a fully reusable rocket, beating SpaceX’s attempt at a similar landing.
The company’s reusable New Shepard vehicle flew 329,839ft into the air from the launch pad in West Texas and control landed a spent rocket back on Earth, which can be used in another flight.
The rocket, named after first American space traveller Alan Shepard, is designed to carry six passengers to altitudes beyond 100km altitude into space.
Bezos said: "Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard space vehicle flew a flawless mission, soaring to 329,839ft and then returning through 119mph high-altitude crosswinds to make a gentle, controlled landing just four and a half feet from the centre of the pad.
"Full reuse is a game changer, and we can’t wait to fuel up and fly again."
The rocket has two components including a crew capsule and a rocket booster, which is powered by a BE-3 liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen engine.
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By GlobalDataIt is the third generation engine developed by Blue Origin and the first new hydrogen engine developed in America after over a decade.
The company is planning additional test missions and validation flights to safely separate the crew capsule in case the rocket snags during its ascent, reported Bloomberg.
In 2014, Blue Origin partnered with Lockheed and Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA) to make a joint investment in the development of Blue Origin’s fourth generation BE-4 rocket engine.
Under the agreement, full-scale testing of the BE-4 engine will be carried out next year. Its first flight is expected to take off in 2019.
Blue Origin and ULA will use the BE-4 for their next generation launch systems.
SpaceX has also undertaken a similar mission and land first stage of its Falcon 9 rockets on a floating platform in the Atlantic.
Image: Blue Origin Shepard rocket successfully landed after its trip to space. Photo: courtesy of Blue Origin.
