Blue Origin continues investigation into New Shepard anomalyJeff Foust February 28, 2023

The New Shepard capsule fired its launch abort motor to get away from its booster after a malfunction about a minute after liftoff on an uncrewed mission Sept. 12. Credit: New Shepard webcast
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Nearly six months after an in-flight anomaly on a New Shepard suborbital mission, Blue Origin says it is still investigating the mishap and has no firm schedule for resuming launches.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-continues-investigation-into-new-shepard-anomaly/Blue Origin blames New Shepard mishap on engine nozzle failureJeff Foust March 24, 2023
Blue Origin's New Shepard just before its capsule fired its launch escape motor on a Sept. 12, 2022, launch. Credit: Blue Origin webcastWASHINGTON — Blue Origin says it is preparing to resume flights of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle after completing an investigation into a failed launch last September.
Blue Origin announced March 24 that its investigation into the NS-23 launch concluded that the nozzle in the BE-3PM engine in the rocket’s propulsion module suffered a structural failure that caused a thrust misalignment. That triggered the abort motor in the vehicle’s crew capsule, taking it away from the propulsion module. The capsule, which carried payloads but no people on the Sept. 12 flight, landed safely under parachutes.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-blames-new-shepard-mishap-on-engine-nozzle-failure/Blue Origin blames September New Shepard abort on engine nozzle failureMarch 27, 2023 William Harwood STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION [SFN]
The BE-3 main engine on Blue Origin’s New Shepard booster fails about a minute after liftoff Sept. 12 on an uncrewed suborbital flight. Credit: Blue OriginStructural failure of the nozzle at the base of a rocket engine powering an unpiloted New Shepard spacecraft toward the edge of space last September triggered a dramatic-but-safe in-flight abort, builder Blue Origin announced Friday, saying the company has identified fixes and plans to resume sub-orbital flights “soon.”
“The direct cause of the NS-23 mishap was a thermo-structural failure of the engine nozzle,” Blue Origin said in a statement. “The resulting thrust misalignment properly triggered the Crew Capsule escape system, which functioned as designed throughout the flight. The Crew Capsule and all payloads on board landed safely and will be flown again.”
https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/03/27/blue-origin-blames-september-new-shepard-abort-on-engine-nozzle-failure/Blue Origin within a “few weeks” of resuming New Shepard flightsJeff Foust June 6, 2023
Blue Origin’s New Shepard lifts off Aug. 44 on the NS-22 crewed suborbital flight. Credit: Blue Origin webcastWASHINGTON — Blue Origin expects to be ready to resume launches of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle in the next few weeks as it completes its recovery from an in-flight anomaly nine months ago.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-within-a-few-weeks-of-resuming-new-shepard-flights/Blue Origin CEO Smith to step downJeff Foust September 25, 2023
Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith (center) poses with the people who flew on the first crewed New Shepard suborbital flight, including company founder Jeff Bezos (second from left), in July 2021. Credit: SpaceNews/Jeff FoustKAHULUI, Hawaii — Bob Smith, chief executive of Blue Origin, will resign from the company in December and be replaced by Dave Limp, the Amazon executive who had been overseeing development of its Project Kuiper constellation.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-ceo-smith-to-step-down/FAA closes New Shepard mishap investigationJeff Foust September 27, 2023
Blue Origin's New Shepard just before its capsule fired its launch escape motor on a Sept. 12, 2022, launch. Credit: Blue Origin webcastWASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration announced Sept. 26 it had closed the mishap investigation into a failed launch by Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle more than a year ago, but said the vehicle is not yet cleared to resume flights.
https://spacenews.com/faa-closes-new-shepard-mishap-investigation/Blue Origin to resume New Shepard suborbital launchesJeff Foust December 12, 2023
Blue Origin's New Shepard lifts off March 31, 2022, on the NS-20 suborbital missions. Credit: Blue Origin webcastWASHINGTON — Blue Origin has announced plans to launch its New Shepard suborbital vehicle on its first flight since a mishap more than 15 months ago.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-to-resume-new-shepard-suborbital-launches/Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket set for return to flight missionDecember 14, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith
Update (9:25 a.m. EST / 1425 UTC, Dec. 19): Blue Origin is targeting its next available launch attempt, which is Dec. 19 at 10:37 AM CST / 16:37 UTC.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket on the launch pad ahead of the NS-23 mission. Credit: Blue Originhttps://spaceflightnow.com/2023/12/14/blue-origins-new-shepard-rocket-set-for-return-to-flight-mission/New Shepard return to flight slips one dayJeff Foust December 18, 2023
Blue Origin said it delayed the return to flight of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle by a day because of a ground systems issue. Credit: Blue OriginWASHINGTON — Blue Origin delayed the return to flight of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle by one day as the company’s founder says he will push the company to move more quickly on its various projects.
https://spacenews.com/new-shepard-return-to-flight-slips-one-day/New Shepard returns to flight with successful suborbital missionJeff Foust December 19, 2023 Updated 2 p.m. Eastern with official company stats.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard lifts off Dec. 19 on the NS-24 mission, carrying research and educational payloads. Credit: Blue Origin webcastWASHINGTON — Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard suborbital vehicle Dec. 19 on its first mission since a mishap more than 15 months ago. (...)
https://spacenews.com/new-shepard-returns-to-flight-with-successful-suborbital-mission-2/Blue Origin launches New Shepard rocket on return to flight missionDecember 19, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith
Updated 3:11 p.m. EST: Added comments and additional mission information from Blue Origin.
A Blue Origin New Shepard rocket lifts off from the launch site in Van Horn, Texas, on the NS-24 mission. This was the first launch of a New Shepard rocket since the vehicle was grounded in the after math of the NS-23 anomaly. Image: Blue Origin(...) “A special thank you to all of our customers who flew important science today and the students who contributed postcards to advance our future of living and working in space for the benefit of Earth,” said Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President for the New Shepard program in a statement. “Demand for New Shepard flights continues to grow and we’re looking forward to increasing our flight cadence in 2024.”
Less than 7.5 minutes into flight, the booster touched down the desert. That was followed by capsule touchdown just over 10 minutes into the mission. The total mission timeline was 10 minutes and 13 seconds. (...)
https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/12/19/blue-origin-launches-new-shepard-rocket-on-return-to-flight-mission/Blue Origin touts capabilities of Blue Ring transfer vehicleJeff Foust February 2, 2024 [SN]
Blue Origin says its Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle will be able to host more than 3,000 kilograms of payload, operating in Earth orbit through cislunar space. Credit: Blue OriginORLANDO, Fla. — Blue Origin is highlighting the capabilities of an orbital transfer vehicle design it announced last year, including the ability of the spacecraft to serve as a fuel depot.
The company publicly announced last October its Blue Ring vehicle, which it described as providing a wide array of “in-space logistics and delivery” services from Earth orbit to cislunar space and beyond. The company had been hinting about development of a space tug for at least a year before the announcement.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-touts-capabilities-of-blue-ring-transfer-vehicle/Blue Origin to resume crewed New Shepard flightsJeff Foust April 5, 2024 [SN]
The upcoming NS-25 flight will be the first crewed mission for Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle since NS-21 in August 2022. Credit: Blue OriginCAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Blue Origin announced plans April 4 for its first crewed New Shepard flight in more than 18 months, a mission that will give an opportunity for America’s first Black astronaut candidate to finally go to space.
The company said the six-person crew of the NS-25 suborbital mission will include Ed Dwight. He was a U.S. Air Force pilot announced by the Kennedy administration in 1961 as an astronaut candidate, the first Black person to be considered. He graduated from the Air Force’s Aerospace Research Pilot School but was not selected by NASA in its next astronaut classes. He left the Air Force in 1966 and became a sculptor.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-to-resume-crewed-new-shepard-flights/Blue Origin resumes crewed New Shepard suborbital flightsJeff Foust May 19, 2024
Blue Origin's New Shepard capsule descends on the NS-25 mission May 19 with only two of its three parachutes fully inflated. Credit: Blue Origin webcastWASHINGTON — Blue Origin conducted its first crewed New Shepard mission in nearly two years May 19, carrying six people, including the first American Black astronaut candidate, on a suborbital spaceflight the company called a success despite a parachute issue.
New Shepard lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas at about 10:36 a.m. Eastern. The countdown was held for more than 20 minutes at the T-10 minute mark for an unspecified technical issue. (...)
Besides Dwight, the others on the NS-25 mission were:
Mason Angel, founder of venture capital firm Industrial Ventures;
Sylvain Chiron, an aviator and pilot who founded Brasserie Mont Blanc, one of France’s largest craft breweries;
Ken Hess, a software engineer and entrepreneur who later created a STEM education nonprofit organization, Science Buddies;
Carol Schaller, a retired accountant and adventure traveler; and
Gopi Thorakura, a pilot who operates a center for holistic wellness and applied health. (...)
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-resumes-crewed-new-shepard-suborbital-flights/Blue Origin returns crew flights to New Shepard with NS-25 missionwritten by Adrian Beil May 19, 2024
Blue Origin succesfully returned to crewed flight with its New Shepard vehicle. The company performed the launch of the seventh human flight of the suborbital vehicle with the designated mission name “NS-25.” The launch window opened at 8:30 AM CDT (13:30 UTC) however, after some additional time needed for checkouts, final liftoff happened one hour and six minutes after the opening of the window, at 9:36 AM CDT. (...)
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/05/ns-25/3:23 PM · May 19, 2024NS-25: Good morning; now 30 minutes to launch of Blue Origin's New Shepard 25 flight, the first with passengers aboard since a booster nozzle failure triggered a launch aboard for the NS-23 mission in September '22; liftoff from Blue's West Texas launch site is targeted for 9:52am EDT (1352 UTC)
NS-25: The 6-member crew includes 90-year-old Ed Dwight, a former Air Force test pilot who was denied a chance to become the first African American astronaut 6 decades ago; in a pre-flight interview with CBS News, he said "that was a part of my career that wasn't quite fulfilled, and here's a grand opportunity at this late date to fulfill that for self-satisfaction, but more importantly, to satisfy all the wonderful people that have showered me with love for all these years. Because it is those people that wanted me to go into space in the worst kind of way."
NS-25: Updated launch time: 10:13am EDT (1413 UTC)
NS-25: Crew boarding is complete; Blue Origin crew photo below (left to right): Sylvain Chiron, Ken Hess, Ed Dwight, Gopi Thotakura, Mason Angel and Carol Schaller

NS-25: Countdown is holding at T-minus 10 minutes; not sure what the planned T-0 is, but the commentators said this is a normal hold as engineers make sure all systems are go
NS-25: Blue Origin is go for launch; the countdown has picked up at the T-minus 10-minute mark
4:37 PM · May 19, 2024NS-25: LIFTOFF! At ~10:36 am EDT (14:36 UTC; exact time TBD)

NS-25: BE-3 booster engine shutdown, New Shepard separation confirmed; the crew is now weightless as the capsule continues coasting upward toward the high point of its sub-orbital trajectory
NS-25: New Shepard has passed through apogee, now descending to re-entry and landing
4:44 PM · May 19, 2024NS-25: Booster landing confirmed

4:46 PM · May 19, 2024NS-25: New Shepard main parachute deploy confirmed; one of the three mains appears partially inflated
NS-25: Blue Origin reports they have word the six crew members "are doing great" after landing
5:05 PM · May 19, 2024NS-25: Ed Dwight: "Absolutely fantastic! A life changing experience. Everybody needs to do this;" also: "I didn't think I needed this in my life. I lied!"


NS-25: Unofficial numbers based on screengrabs and Blue Origin telemetry graphics: Booster burnout at about T+2:24, 185,000 feet, 2,175 mph; apogee at about T+4:07, 347,573 feet (65.8 mph), 0 mph; landing about T+10 minutes; we'll post official flight stats as soon as Blue provides an update
https://x.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1792212080172376208https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1792209515015737592The @BlueOrigin New Shepard NS-25 mission was launched at about 1436 UTC (still no GMT clock with seconds on the webcast, Blue?) and reached an apogee of 107.0 km MSL (105.9 km AGL). Flight time was 9m 44s.
Blue Origin investigating New Shepard parachute issueJeff Foust June 1, 2024
Blue Origin's New Shepard capsule descends on the NS-25 mission May 19 with only two of its three parachutes fully inflated. Credit: Blue Origin webcastKENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — A parachute failed to fully inflate on the latest Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital flight because a line controlling its expansion was not cut as planned.
One of three parachutes on the crew capsule of New Shepard did not fully inflate during the capsule’s descent on the NS-25 mission May 19. The other two parachutes operated normally and the capsule landed without incident.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-investigating-new-shepard-parachute-issue/Blue Origin sets date for next New Shepard flight after completing parachute investigationJeff Foust August 23, 2024
Blue Origin's New Shepard capsule descends on the NS-25 mission May 19 with only two of its three parachutes fully inflated. Credit: Blue Origin webcastWASHINGTON — Blue Origin has scheduled its next New Shepard suborbital mission for Aug. 29 after completing an investigation into a parachute that failed to fully open on the vehicle’s previous flight.
https://spacenews.com/blue-origin-sets-date-for-next-new-shepard-flight-after-completing-parachute-investigation/