Blue Origin successfully tested the crew rescue system

In early September, Blue Origin unveiled its reusable New Glenn manned rocket to the public . But the company continued to work on its earlier project - the New Shepard suborbital rocket , intended, according to the authors, for space tourism.

Yesterday New Shepard was tested in an emergency scenario. Instead of simulating a successful launch, the engineers of the company decided to check the emergency evacuation system of the crew and passengers in case of emergency. The tests were successful.

The exit of the rocket from the earth's atmosphere is one of the most dangerous stages. Blue Origin engineers simulated an emergency situation at about 45 seconds of flight or at an altitude of 4800 meters.
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The design of the rocket New Shepard allows you to return the rocket to the ground after the successful withdrawal of the payload to a predetermined height. Also in the rocket the rescue system of the head capsule was designed, in which, according to the idea, the crew and passengers will be accommodated.

After artificially creating an “emergency” situation at an altitude of about 5,000 meters, the head part of the capsule was shot off from the launch vehicle and accelerated away from it along a different trajectory:


Video posted on Vive by Blue Origin CEO Jafe Bezos


Landing capsules

Ejection of the capsule with acceleration did not prevent the company's specialists from returning the reusable New Shepard rocket back to earth. After reaching the target altitude of 21 kilometers, the step began to fall back onto the ground and landed near the launch pad in the state of Texas.


Full video of the tests

Used in the trials rocket will retire. Unlike the returned SpaceX steps, which are still being tested and will be on the launch pad for re-launch only after a year and a half, one of the New Shepard missiles launched five times already.

The company's management is aware that New Shepard is a niche product for private clients who want to see Earth from space.

According to Bezos, even before the tests began, if the rocket successfully returns to the ground (and she returned), she will go to the “museum”, since five launches are more than enough.