Blue Origin shows off landing mechanism for New Glenn rocket | Digital Trends
Blue Origin aims to emulate SpaceX. It wants to land the first stage of its New Glenn rocket. This will allow it to reuse the booster. Reusability cuts mission costs.
A short video was shared online. It shows a test of the New Glenn’s landing legs. The legs unfold just before landing. "We finished testing New Glenn's landing legs," said Blue Origin. The legs stay inside the rocket during flight. They come out just as the booster touches down on a sea vessel.
Blue Origin has experience landing rockets. It already lands the New Shepard rocket. But the New Glenn will be more complex to land. The New Shepard is a single-stage rocket. The New Glenn is a two-stage rocket. It is also much larger and flies higher.
The New Glenn is 320 feet tall. It was raised at the Kennedy Space Center. It has a large payload fairing. It's big enough to hold three school buses.
The New Glenn will have many missions. It will launch Amazon's internet satellites. This is part of Project Kuiper. It's similar to SpaceX’s Starlink. The rocket will also launch other satellites. It has plans for lunar missions too.
The rocket has faced delays. Its first launch is now set for September 29, 2024. It will carry NASA's EscaPADE spacecraft to Mars.
A short video was shared online. It shows a test of the New Glenn’s landing legs. The legs unfold just before landing. "We finished testing New Glenn's landing legs," said Blue Origin. The legs stay inside the rocket during flight. They come out just as the booster touches down on a sea vessel.
Blue Origin has experience landing rockets. It already lands the New Shepard rocket. But the New Glenn will be more complex to land. The New Shepard is a single-stage rocket. The New Glenn is a two-stage rocket. It is also much larger and flies higher.
The New Glenn is 320 feet tall. It was raised at the Kennedy Space Center. It has a large payload fairing. It's big enough to hold three school buses.
The New Glenn will have many missions. It will launch Amazon's internet satellites. This is part of Project Kuiper. It's similar to SpaceX’s Starlink. The rocket will also launch other satellites. It has plans for lunar missions too.
The rocket has faced delays. Its first launch is now set for September 29, 2024. It will carry NASA's EscaPADE spacecraft to Mars.