It seems that there is no stopping these dot com billionaires like Elon Musk from expanding their reach to space. Jeff Bezos has joined their ranks with the successful launch of an unmanned shepherd space vehicle by his company Blue Origin. But Bezos does appear to be serious in the pursuit of space technology as well.
The company has been testing liquid Hydrogen based engine for several years. Since they have a limited expertise in the field, they have also been testing their rockets outside the Blue Origin facility in Texas, most notably the NASA’s test yards.
Bezos posted a blog announcing the successful launch and separation of the capsule at 307,000 feet. The rocket flew at Mach 3 and ended up there in no time. He also made a comment about the possibility of astronauts in the future mission as he mentioned the ride was smooth and comfortable.
However, like Elon Musk, Bezos wants to introduce technology for reusing rockets, and this mission was a failure in that respect as the separated rocket was lost due to a significant decrease in the hydraulic pressure.
But Bezos’ isn’t holding back, he has already announced plans for launching the second and third test rockets. The improved hydraulics are already laid down, and a more powerful launch system is also on the cards with the help of United Launch Alliance. It is hoped that Blue Origin will also provide positive developments in the space technology for years to come.
Have a look at this video from Blue Origin:
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