Blue Origin Poised to Attempt First Booster Landing on New Glenn’s Second Flight
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - blue Origin is set to attempt the first landing of it’s New Glenn booster following today’s launch, a critical step toward full reusability for the company’s heavy-lift rocket.The nearly 20-story booster will execute a controlled descent to Blue Origin’s recovery ship, “Jacklyn,” positioned hundreds of miles downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. The landing sequence will utilize three, than a single, BE-4 engine to precisely control the booster’s touchdown on the platform, named in honor of Jeff Bezos’ late mother.
This mission represents a crucial recovery effort after New Glenn’s successful inaugural launch earlier this year ended with the booster crashing into the sea due to engine restart failure. The company has since implemented changes to its propellant management system and made minor hardware adjustments to significantly increase the likelihood of a successful landing. A successful recovery would pave the way for reusing this vrey booster on the next New Glenn launch, planned for early next year, which will carry Blue Origin’s Blue Moon cargo lander toward the Moon.
“We’ve incorporated a number of changes to our propellant management system,some minor hardware changes as well,to increase our likelihood of landing that booster on this mission,” said Laura Maginnis,Blue Origin’s vice president of new Glenn mission management. “That was the primary schedule driver that kind of took us from from January to where we are today.”
Beyond the booster landing, the mission is carrying the ESCAPADE spacecraft on an unusual trajectory. Its path through space, resembling a kidney bean, is a purposeful “staging or libration orbit” designed to maintain a stable position while awaiting the optimal window for its journey to Mars late next year.
“Our No. 1 objective is to deliver ESCAPADE safely and successfully on its way to L2, and then eventually on to mars,” Maginnis stated during a press conference Saturday. “We also are planning and wanting to land our booster. If we don’t land the booster, that’s OK. We have several more vehicles in production. We’re excited to see how the mission plays out tomorrow.”
