Following the conclusion of an inquiry into an accident last year, Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin said Friday it hopes to resume rocket flights “soon.” However, it must wait for US regulators to accept the results.
Following the September 2022 disaster that happened shortly after takeoff from Texas, the company’s New Shepard suborbital rockets, which are designed among other things for space tourism, have been put on hold.
Although the incident was a setback for the corporation started by the founder of Amazon, onlookers were encouraged by the likelihood that anyone on board would have survived.
Blue Origin’s NS-23 capsule, which carried a research payload, was mounted on top of the solitary booster that made up the rocket for the voyage.
The rocket had an anomaly throughout the voyage, appearing to halt as it encountered a technical problem as it was rising.
The capsule then began its escape maneuver, beat the launcher, and began to plummet back to Earth as the parachute was still being deployed.
The rocket “impacted the ground” at that time, as opposed to landing upright as it usually does, according to Blue Origin.
Following that, a probe was carried out under the direction of the regulating Federal Aviation Administration. (FAA).
The FAA stated on Friday that it was “currently reviewing the company’s submission of its mishap report” and that its investigation was still ongoing.
“FAA permission is required to close the inquiry and for the New Shepard System to resume flight,” it was claimed in a statement.
‘Thrust misalignment’
The term “thermo-structural failure of the engine nozzle,” which refers to the duct via which burning gases are discharged, was used by Blue Origin to describe the anomaly.
The “capsule escape system” was activated as a result of the subsequent “thrust misalignment.”
The inquiry found that temperatures that were higher than anticipated were to blame for the nozzle’s failure, indicating that “design changes” should address the issue going forward.
It emphasised once more that the escape device “worked as designed,” allowing the capsule and its contents to “land safely.”
The same NS-23 payloads will be reflown, according to Blue Origin, who “expects to return to flight soon.”
Since Bezos personally took part in the inaugural trip in July 2021, Blue Origin has transported 32 passengers, some of whom have paid for their flights and others who have flown as guests.