Blue Origin's crewed mission success
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Blue Origin successfully completed its seventh human spaceflight and the 25th mission for the New Shepard program on May 19, 2024, marking the company's return to crewed missions after a nearly two-year hiatus.
NS-25 Mission Overview
The NS-25 mission carried a diverse crew of six individuals, including venture capitalist Mason Angel, French brewery founder Sylvain Chiron, software engineer Kenneth L. Hess, retired CPA and adventure traveler Carol Schaller, and airplane pilot and entrepreneur Gopi Thotakura.
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The mission reached a peak altitude of approximately 106 kilometers and had a total duration of 9 minutes and 53 seconds, about 20 seconds shorter than previous New Shepard flights.1
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This successful mission underscores Blue Origin's commitment to advancing space tourism and its ability to overcome technical challenges.1
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Ed Dwight's Historic Flight
Ed Dwight, a 90-year-old retired military test pilot, became the oldest person to fly to space on Blue Origin's NS-25 mission.
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Dwight was selected as America's first Black astronaut candidate by the Kennedy administration in 1961 but was not chosen by NASA in subsequent astronaut classes, making his inclusion on this flight particularly notable.2
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His flight was sponsored by two nonprofit organizations: Space for Humanity and the Seattle-based Jaison and Jamie Robinson Foundation.4
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Parachute Issue and Safety
During the NS-25 mission, one of the three parachutes on the crew capsule did not fully inflate during descent. However, the capsule is designed to land safely with only two parachutes, and all six crew members were reported to be in good condition after landing.
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Blue Origin did not mention the parachute anomaly in their post-flight statement, but noted that the mission's elapsed time was 9 minutes and 53 seconds, about 20 seconds shorter than previous full-duration New Shepard flights.2
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Hiatus and Engine Redesign
Blue Origin's crewed flights were suspended on Sept. 12, 2022, when an uncrewed New Shepard anomaly saw the spacecraft disengage itself from the rocket mid-flight due to a thermo-structural failure of the engine nozzle.
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The Federal Aviation Administration performed an investigation, identifying 21 corrective actions for Blue Origin, including redesigning its engine and nozzle component.2
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Following these changes, Blue Origin resumed flights with the uncrewed NS-24 mission in December 2023, paving the way for the successful NS-25 crewed mission in May 2024.1
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