Blue Origin’s New Shepard crashed in Texas, the first time the company’s reusable rocket failed to reach space.
The New Shepard rocket was supposed to take off on Monday 12 September from West Texas’ Midland. However, the booster engine shut down prematurely after about two minutes of flight.
Instead, the booster stage separated from the capsule just seconds after liftoff. The capsule then fell back to Earth, landing about 1,000 feet away from its intended target area.
In addition to the crash, the New Shepard’s crew capsule had a hard landing back on Earth. According to Blue Origin, the crew capsule landed safely near its original location.
The crash marks the first time a rocket developed by Jeff Bezos’ private rocket company has failed to reach orbit.
It comes less than two months after the company successfully launched its test flight of the same vehicle.
New Shepard is designed to carry tourists into suborbital space for brief trips.
Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the goal of making spaceflight routine.
He said he wants to make space tourism affordable enough that people can afford to visit space.
But his company has struggled to get off the ground.
You may also like, JC. Penney Grows Fashion Footprint With Frye And Co.
In 2014, the company announced plans to build a spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, where it would have been able to send rockets into orbit.
But the project faced opposition from residents who worried about noise and traffic.
Last year, the company canceled the project, saying it didn’t want to move forward until it had a successful test flight.
That test flight took place last month.
The company says it has spent $100 million developing the New Shepard rocket since 2010.
Follow us on Instagram.
