San Francisco: Jeff Bezos-owned aerospace company Blue Origin is aiming to launch its New Shepard suborbital rocket during a launch window that opens on December 18.
The mission, called NS-24, will carry 33 science and research payloads and other cargo to space.
The new launch comes after the failure in September 2022 when an uncrewed research mission lifted off from Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas and seconds after launch, New Shepard’s reusable first-stage booster experienced a serious problem and crashed.
A probe by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cited the proximate cause of the mishap as the structural failure of an engine nozzle caused by higher-than-expected engine operating temperatures.
Now, Blue Origin said it is targeting a launch window that opens on December 18 for our next New Shepard payload mission.
“NS24 will carry 33 science and research payloads as well as 38,000 @clubforfuture postcards to space,” the company posted in X late on Tuesday.
The FAA had instructed Blue Origin to implement 21 corrective actions, including redesigning the engine and nozzle components as well as “organisational changes”.
“Blue Origin must implement all corrective actions that impact public safety and receive a licence modification from the FAA that addresses all safety and other applicable regulatory requirements prior to the next New Shepard launch,” the FAA had said in a statement in October.
–IANS