Blue Origin BE-3

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin is reportedly preparing to conduct flight tests of its rocket engine on-board a suborbital spaceship this year.

Named BE-3, the engine is said to be the first-of-its-kind hydrogen engine to be developed in the US.

It can be throttled between 110,000lbf and 20,000lbf thrust, a key capability for vertical takeoff and vertical landing vehicles.

The BE-3 engine will be tested on-board the New Shepard spaceship, which is designed to carry up to three people or a mix of passengers and payloads to around 100km above earth, reported Reuters.

The spacecraft is planned to be launched from Blue Origin’s facility near Van Horn, Texas, US.

Blue Origin has recently completed acceptance testing of BE-3 engine, which will be later modified to serve as an upper stage motor to launch satellites.

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"The BE-3 has now been fired for more than 30,000 seconds over the course of 450 tests."

Jeff Bezos said: "The BE-3 has now been fired for more than 30,000 seconds over the course of 450 tests.

"We test, learn, refine and then test again to push our engines."

The company designed and fabricated BE-3 engine at its facility in Washington, US, and completed full-engine testing at its facilities in West Texas.

Blue Origin plans to upgrade its New Shepard suborbital vehicle into an orbital launch system with plans to make it available for flying later this decade.

The orbital launch system will be powered by Blue Origin’s under development BE-4 engine that generates 550,000lbf thrust at sea level.

The fourth-generation BE-4 engine is being developed United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

Image: Blue Origin’s BE-3 engine throttles to its maximum 110,000lbf thrust during acceptance testing. Photo: courtesy of Blue Origin.