WASHINGTON — Blue Origin marked a significant milestone on October 23 with the inaugural flight of its new model of the New Shepard suborbital vehicle. The uncrewed NS-27 mission launched from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas at 11:26 a.m. Eastern Time. Although the flight reached a slightly lower altitude than previous missions, the company described the mission as “nominal and on target.”
The New Shepard (NS) rocket lifted off at 8:57 pm IST for the NS-27 mission from the company's launch site in Texas with the debutant crew capsule. Credit: Blue Origin
The mission followed two earlier launch scrubs: the first on October 7 due to unspecified technical issues and the second on October 13, which was postponed to address a GPS problem. Unlike previous flights, Blue Origin did not publicly disclose specific performance metrics, including peak altitude and speed.
During the flight, the booster appeared to achieve a peak altitude of approximately 101.2 kilometers, while the capsule reached an apogee of 102.4 kilometers. For context, the previous flight, NS-26 on August 29, saw the booster peak at 105.3 kilometers and the capsule at 105.4 kilometers. The company confirmed these altitudes late on October 23 but did not provide an explanation for the lower altitude achieved during the latest flight.
Analysis of the flight data revealed that the engine shutdown occurred roughly two seconds earlier than in NS-26. While NS-26 recorded a maximum ascent speed of 3,602 kilometers per hour, NS-27 reached a maximum speed of 3,473 kilometers per hour, which could account for the reduced altitude.
This flight was notable as it debuted both a new model of the New Shepard capsule, dubbed RSS Kármán Line, and an upgraded booster. Blue Origin highlighted that the new vehicle includes technological enhancements aimed at improving performance and reusability, as well as modifications for carrying payloads on the booster. The flight did not carry any crew but included 12 payloads, including a navigation system developed for both New Shepard and Blue Origin’s New Glenn orbital vehicle.
RSS Kármán Line, named for the 100-kilometer altitude often recognized as the edge of space, is the company’s second human-rated capsule, following RSS First Step. Blue Origin indicated that this new capsule would enhance flight capacity to meet the increasing demand from customers, although they did not provide specifics on upcoming flight schedules.
A New Era for Scientific Research in Suborbital Flights
Blue Origin’s growing customer base is anticipated to be primarily comprised of space tourists. However, the NS-26 flight also carried a NASA-funded researcher, Rob Ferl, a professor at the University of Florida, who conducted an experiment examining the effects of spaceflight on gene expression in plants.
Ferl shared that his extensive training for the flight began two years prior, involving practice in a mockup capsule and hundreds of lab simulations to ensure he was fully prepared. He likened this preparation to the rigorous training of an athlete preparing for the Olympics, emphasizing the importance of performing well under pressure in a unique environment.
The research team collaborated with experienced astronauts and spaceflight participants for insights and guidance. Ferl noted that careful planning, including color-coding experiment tubes, helped coordinate actions during the flight. “We had a group muscle memory of when things were going to happen,” he explained, underscoring the need for precision in this extraordinary setting.
Post-flight analysis confirmed that Ferl successfully conducted his experiment, validating the potential of commercial suborbital vehicles for scientific research. Ferl expressed optimism that future scientists could undergo training in significantly less time due to advancements in operational procedures established by companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic.
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