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Published on : Thursday, October 15, 2020
Blue Origin, the US space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, succeeded in latest test flight of its rocket aimed towards taking tourists to space, although the date of the first crewed launch remains uncertain so far.
The New Shepard capsule, which was propelled over the boundary of space by a small reusable launch vehicle that returned to land vertically, is expected to carry up to six passengers some time soon.
It reached a height of 66 miles (106 kilometers) above sea level, before coming back to the surface using parachutes and landing in a cloud of dust in the desert of West Texas. Its total flight time was 10 minutes and nine seconds.
Blue Origin previously unveiled the capsule’s interior: six seats with horizontal backrests, placed next to large portholes, in an highly developed cabin with swish lighting.
Multiple cameras would assist in immortalizing the few minutes that tourists would get to experience weightlessness while taking in the Earth’s curvature.
This summer, Blue Origin’s competitor Virgin Galactic showed off the interior of its own vessel which is also supposed to take private passengers to the boundaries of space for a few minutes.
But neither company has announced the start of commercial flights, which are on hold for years.
Tags: Blue Origin, tourists to space