West Texas – Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard suborbital vehicle today, marking the company’s first in-flight test of lunar gravity simulation.
Credit: Blue Origin
The NS-29 mission lifted off from Launch Site One in West Texas at 11 a.m. Eastern, reaching a peak altitude of 105 kilometers above sea level. The flight lasted 10 minutes and 6 seconds, with the capsule touching down approximately two and a half minutes after the booster executed a powered landing.
This mission, originally set for a January launch, was delayed due to a technical issue and unfavorable weather conditions. Blue Origin later clarified that the previous scrub was caused by an avionics issue, preventing the vehicle from verifying its commands.
Simulating Lunar Gravity for Future Moon Missions
Unlike previous New Shepard flights, this payload-only mission introduced a crucial new capability: lunar gravity simulation. After the capsule separated from the booster, its reaction control thrusters spun it at 11 revolutions per minute, replicating lunar gravity conditions inside for approximately two minutes.
“This is an extremely valuable capability for researchers working on lunar missions,” said Phil Joyce, senior vice president for New Shepard at Blue Origin. “It allows for testing lunar technologies at a fraction of the cost, enabling rapid iteration and development in a significantly compressed timeframe.”
The mission carried 29 payloads, with 17 provided by NASA through its Flight Opportunities program. These payloads spanned six research categories, including:
-In-situ resource utilization
-Dust mitigation
-Advanced habitation systems
-Sensors and instrumentation
-Small spacecraft technologies
-Entry, descent, and landing systems
Additionally, one payload was mounted on the exterior of the booster to expose it to space conditions.
Blue Origin had been developing this lunar gravity simulation capability for several years. The company formalized an agreement with NASA’s Flight Opportunities program nearly four years ago, recognizing the need for cost-effective lunar technology testing.
“This is a completely new way to provide lunar gravity testing for NASA and other technology developers,” said Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, in a social media post last month. “It accelerates research and development at a much lower cost.”
Parachute Anomaly During Descent
During the capsule’s descent, one of its three parachutes failed to fully inflate immediately after deployment. However, as New Shepard is designed to land safely with just two parachutes, the capsule still completed a controlled landing. A similar event occurred during a May 2024 New Shepard flight.
Launch commentators noted that Blue Origin was testing a new parachute design, though they did not specify what changes were made. The third parachute eventually deployed just before landing.
With this successful mission, New Shepard has now demonstrated a critical capability for future lunar exploration, offering researchers an efficient and cost-effective way to test their technologies in a simulated lunar gravity environment before they ever reach the Moon.
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