Blue Origin's New Shepard Makes Unmanned Cargo Flight

The launch is the first since September 2022 when an FAA investigation grounded the space tourism venture.

Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at 05:07 PM ET

Verified

Blue Origin's New Shepard, going through final checks in advance of the launch Tuesday near Van Horn, Texas. [Courtesy: Blue Origin]

Key Takeaways:

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket successfully completed its 24th mission (NS-24), marking its first flight since being grounded in September 2022.
The previous grounding was due to an FAA investigation following a booster failure on the uncrewed NS-23 mission, which was later attributed to a faulty engine nozzle.
The unmanned NS-24 mission carried 33 scientific payloads from NASA and other research institutions, along with 38,000 postcards.
Blue Origin aims to increase its New Shepard flight cadence in 2024 to meet growing demand for its suborbital services.

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Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket was back in business Tuesday, launching its 24th mission and first since September 2022 when an FAA investigation grounded the suborbital space tourism venture.

The unmanned cargo mission, dubbed NS-24, launched from the Blue Origin launch site near Van Horn, Texas, shortly before 11 a.m. CDT. On board its capsule were 33 payloads from NASA and research institutions, including 38,000 postcards from the company’s Postcards to Space nonprofit program.