In May 2019, [[Jeff Bezos]] announced plans for a [[human spaceflight|crew-carrying]] [[lunar lander]] known as [[Blue Moon (spacecraft)|Blue Moon]].<ref name="cnbc20190509">{{Cite web |last=Sheetz |first=Michael |date=May 9, 2019 |title=Jeff Bezos unveils Blue Origin's Blue Moon lunar lander for astronauts |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/09/jeff-bezos-unveils-blue-moon-lunar-lander.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510122842/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/09/jeff-bezos-unveils-blue-moon-lunar-lander.html |archive-date=May 10, 2019 |access-date=May 10, 2019 |website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> The standard version of the lander is intended to [[space transport|transport]] {{Convert|3.6|tonnes|lb|abbr=on}} to the [[lunar surface]], whereas a stretched tank variant could land up to {{Convert|6.5|tonnes|lb|abbr=on}} on the [[Moon]], both are vehicles designed to make a soft landing on the [[Selenography|Moon's surface]].
In May 2019, [[Jeff Bezos]] announced plans for a [[human spaceflight|crew-carrying]] [[lunar lander]] known as [[Blue Moon (spacecraft)|Blue Moon]].<ref name="cnbc20190509">{{Cite web |last=Sheetz |first=Michael |date=May 9, 2019 |title=Jeff Bezos unveils Blue Origin's Blue Moon lunar lander for astronauts |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/09/jeff-bezos-unveils-blue-moon-lunar-lander.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510122842/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/09/jeff-bezos-unveils-blue-moon-lunar-lander.html |archive-date=May 10, 2019 |access-date=May 10, 2019 |website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> The standard version of the lander is intended to [[space transport|transport]] {{Convert|3.6|tonnes|lb|abbr=on}} to the [[lunar surface]], whereas a stretched tank variant could land up to {{Convert|6.5|tonnes|lb|abbr=on}} on the [[Moon]], both are vehicles designed to make a soft landing on the [[Selenography|Moon's surface]].
The [[Lander (spacecraft)|lander]] will use the [[#BE-7|BE-7]] [[hydrolox]] engine.<ref name="sfn20190509">{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Stephen |date=May 9, 2019 |title=Jeff Bezos unveils 'Blue Moon' lander |work=Spaceflight Now |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/05/09/blue-origin-announcement/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510041940/https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/05/09/blue-origin-announcement/ |archive-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref> On May 19, 2023 [[NASA]] contracted Blue Origin to develop, test and deploy its Blue Moon landing system for the agency's [[Artemis V]] mission, which explores the [[Moon]] and prepares future manned missions to [[Mars]]. The project includes an unmanned test mission followed by a manned [[Moon]] landing in 2029. The contract value is $3.4 billion.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider |date=May 19, 2023 |url=http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-blue-origin-as-second-artemis-lunar-lander-provider |access-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519150415/https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-blue-origin-as-second-artemis-lunar-lander-provider/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="cnbc.com">{{Cite web |date=May 19, 2023 |title=Bezos' Blue Origin wins NASA astronaut moon lander contract to compete with SpaceX's Starship |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/19/nasa-awards-blue-origin-sld-crew-lunar-lander-contract.html |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=[[CNBC]] |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519144646/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/19/nasa-awards-blue-origin-sld-crew-lunar-lander-contract.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The [[Lander (spacecraft)|lander]] will use the [[#BE-7|BE-7]] [[hydrolox]] engine.<ref name="sfn20190509">{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Stephen |date=May 9, 2019 |title=Jeff Bezos unveils 'Blue Moon' lander |work=Spaceflight Now |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/05/09/blue-origin-announcement/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510041940/https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/05/09/blue-origin-announcement/ |archive-date=May 10, 2019}}</ref> On May 19, 2023 [[NASA]] contracted Blue Origin to develop, test and deploy its Blue Moon landing system for the agency's [[Artemis V]] mission, which explores the [[Moon]] and prepares future manned missions to [[Mars]]. The project includes an unmanned test mission followed by a manned [[Moon]] landing in 2029. The contract value is $3.4 billion.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider |date=May 19, 2023 |url=http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-blue-origin-as-second-artemis-lunar-lander-provider |access-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519150415/https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-blue-origin-as-second-artemis-lunar-lander-provider/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="cnbc.com">{{Cite web |date=May 19, 2023 |title=Bezos' Blue Origin wins NASA astronaut moon lander contract to compete with SpaceX's Starship |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/19/nasa-awards-blue-origin-sld-crew-lunar-lander-contract.html |access-date=May 19, 2023 |website=[[CNBC]] |language=en |archive-date=May 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519144646/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/19/nasa-awards-blue-origin-sld-crew-lunar-lander-contract.html |url-status=live }}</ref>In mid 2024, the company announced initial acceptance testing completion on the thrusters for the MK1 variant of the Blue Moon lander.<ref>{{Cite web |title= |url=https://x.com/blueorigin/status/1788254387934052763 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The organization was awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy in 2016 for demonstrating rocket booster reusability with their New Shepard Rocket Program.[10] The award is administered by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and is presented to those who have made "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year."[11]
History
The company was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.[12][13]Rob Meyerson joined the company in 2003 and served as the CEO before leaving the company in 2018.[14] Bob Smith served as CEO from 2018 to 2023.[15] The current CEO is Dave Limp.[16] Little is known about the company's activities in its early years. In 2006, the company purchased land for its New Shepard missions 30 miles North of Van Horn, Texas, United States called Launch Site One (LS1). In November 2006, the first test vehicle was launched, the Goddard rocket, which reached an altitude of 285 feet.[17]
After initiating the development of an orbital rocket system prior to 2012, and stating in 2013 on their website that the first stage would perform a powered vertical landing and be reusable, the company publicly announced their orbital
three-stage variants. New Glenn is planned to launch in Q3 of 2024.[18]
New Glenn is a heavy-liftlaunch vehicle in development stage, and is expected to be ready for Launch in Q3 of 2024. The launch date has been set back because of numerous delays. Named after NASAastronautJohn Glenn, design work on the vehicle began in early 2012. Illustrations of the vehicle, and the high-level specifications, were initially publicly unveiled in September 2016. The full vehicle was first unveiled on a launch pad on February 21, 2024.[27] The rocket will have a diameter of 7 meters (23 ft), and its first stage will be powered by seven BE-4 engines. The 7 meter-diameter fairing is claimed to have twice the payload volume of "any commercial launch system" and to be the biggest payload fairing in the world.[28]
lunar surface, whereas a stretched tank variant could land up to 6.5 t (14,000 lb) on the Moon, both are vehicles designed to make a soft landing on the Moon's surface
.
The
Artemis V mission, which explores the Moon and prepares future manned missions to Mars. The project includes an unmanned test mission followed by a manned Moon landing in 2029. The contract value is $3.4 billion.[35][36]In mid 2024, the company announced initial acceptance testing completion on the thrusters for the MK1 variant of the Blue Moon lander.[37]
Rocket engines
BE-4 on build stand
BE-1
Blue Origin's first engine was a "simple, single-propellant engine" called the Blue Engine-1 (BE-1) which used peroxide propellant and generated only 8.9 kN (2,000 lbf) of thrust.[38]
BE-2
The Blue Engine-2 (BE-2) which was a bipropellant engine using kerosene and peroxide, producing 140 kN (31,000 lbf) thrust.[38]
reliable restart all in a single-test sequence."[41]NASA has released a video of the test.[40] As of December 2013[update], the engine had demonstrated more than 160 starts and 9,100 seconds (2.5 h) of operation at the company's test facility near Van Horn, Texas.[41][42]
The
BE-3U is an open expander cycle variant of the BE-3. Two of these engines will be used to power the New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle's second stage. The amount of thrust the BE-3U produces is 710 kilonewtons (160,000 lbf).[43]
The
pump-fed engine design, with a combustion tap-off cycle to take a small amount of combustion gases from the main combustion chamber to power the engine's turbopumps. One engine is used to power the Propulsive Module (PM) of New Shepard. The amount of thrust the BE-3PM produces is 490 kilonewtons (110,000 lbf).[43]
The rocket engine can be throttled down to as low as 110 kN (25,000 lbf) for use in controlled vertical landings.
The BE-4 is a liquid oxygen/liquified natural gas (LOX/LNG) rocket engine that can produce 2,400 kN (550,000 lbf) of thrust.[44]
In late 2014, the company signed an agreement with
first stage. The engine development program for the BE-4 began in 2011.[45]
On October 31, 2022, a Twitter post by the official Blue Origin account announced that the first two BE-4 engines had been delivered to ULA and were in the process of being integrated on a Vulcan rocket. In a later tweet, ULA CEO Tory Bruno said that one of the engines had already been installed on the booster, and that the other would be joining it momentarily.[46] On June 7, 2023, the two BE-4 rocket engines performed as expected when ULA performed a Flight Readiness Firing of the Vulcan Rocket at launch pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.[47][48]
The BE-7 engine is a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen dual expander cycle engine currently under development, designed for use on Blue Moon.[50] The engine produces 44 kN (10,000 lbf) of thrust. Its first ignition tests were performed in June 2019, with thrust chamber assembly testing continuing through 2023.[51]
The company’s headquarters is in Kent, Washington. Rocket development takes place at its Headquarters. The company has continued to expand its Seattle-area offices and rocket production facilities since 2016, purchasing an adjacent 11,000 m2 (120,000 sq ft)-building.[55] In 2017, the company filed permits to build a new 21,900 m2 (236,000 sq ft) warehouse complex and an additional 9,560 m2 (102,900 sq ft) of office space.[56] The company established a new headquarters and R&D facility, called the O'Neill Building on June 6, 2020.[57][58]
Launch Site One (LSO)
Corn Ranch, commonly referred to as Launch Site One (LSO) is the company's launch site 30 miles north of Van Horn, Texas.[59] The launch facility is located at 31.422927°N 104.757152°W.[60]
In addition to the sub-orbital launch pad, Launch Site One (LSO) includes a number of
preburner
tests.
Blue Engine
Engine production is located in Huntsville, Alabama, at a 600,000sqft facility called, "Blue Engine". The companies website states that, "The world-class engine manufacturing facility in The Rocket City conduct[s] high rate production of the BE-4 and BE-3U engines.
The company is planning a third major expansion in Huntsville and the company was approved for the sale of 14.83 acres adjacent to its already sprawling campus at the price of $1.427 million.[61]
Orbital Launch Site (OLS)
The Orbital Launch Site (OLS) at the
Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) to launch its New Glenn into orbit[62] at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The facility was initially completed in 2020 and is being used for the construction of New Glenn prototypes, rocket testing, and designs.[63]
The companies facility is situated on 306 acres of land assembled from former Launch Complexes 11, 36A, and 36B. The land parcel used to build a rocket engine test stand for the BE-4 engine, a
The Blue Ring vehicle was announced in October 2023 by Blue Origin. It will have its own engine and is meant to handle orbital logistics and delivery. In March 2024, in partnership with the United States Space Force, it was announced that the Blue Ring’s capabilities will be tested soon on a mission called DarkSky-1.[65]
Redwire Space and Genesis Engineering Solutions won a $130million award to jump-start the design of their Orbital Reef commercial space station. The project is envisioned as an expandable business park, with Boeing's Starliner and Sierra Space's Dream Chaser transporting passengers to and from low Earth orbit (LEO) for tourism, research and in-space manufacturing projects.[66]
Orbital Reef’s design will be modular in nature, to provide the greatest amount of customization and compatibility. It will reportedly be designed to accept docking from almost every in operation spacecraft like SpaceX Dragon 2, Soyuz (spacecraft), Dream Chaser, and Boeing Starliner. The initial modules will be: Life, Node, Core, and Research Modules.[67]
In 2024 NASA increased funding for Orbital Reef by $42 million, bringing the total award to $172 million.[68]
Nuclear rocket program
NASA plans to test spacecraft, engines and other propellent systems powered by nuclear fission no later than 2027 as part of the agency's effort to demonstrate more efficient methods of traveling through outer space for space exploration.[69] One benefit to using nuclear fission as a propellent for spacecraft is that nuclear-based systems can have less mass than solar cells which means a spacecraft could be much smaller while absorbing and using the same amount of energy more efficiently. Nuclear fission concepts that can power both life support and propulsion systems could greatly reduce the cost and flight time during space exploration.[70]
In partnership with Blue Origin, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp.,
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a long range nuclear propulsion system called the Power Adjusted Demonstration Mars Engine, or PADME.[72]
Space Technology
NASA awarded $35 million to the company in 2023 for the company's work on lunar regrowth to be used for solar powered systems on the moon. The company's website states that "Blue Alchemist is a proposed end-to-end, scalable, autonomous, and commercial solution that produces solar cells from lunar regolith, which is the dust and crushed rock abundant on the surface of the Moon. Based on a process called molten regolith electrolysis, the breakthrough would bootstrap unlimited electricity and power transmission cables anywhere on the surface of the Moon. This process also produces oxygen as a useful byproduct for propulsion and life support."
Gary Lai, chief architect of the New Shepard rocket said during the pathfinder awards at the Seattle Museum of Flight that [The company] "aims to be the first company that harvests natural resources from the moon to use here on Earth,” He also mentioned that the company is building a novel approach to extract outer space's vast resources.
Timeline of SpaceShipOne, SpaceShipTwo, CSXT and New Shepard sub-orbital flights. Where booster and capsule achieved different altitudes, the higher is plotted. In the SVG file, hover over a point to show details.
In the chart below, ♺ means "Flight Proven Booster"
Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused booster[80]
11
April 2, 2016
New Shepard 2
♺
339,178 ft (64 mi)
Success
Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused booster[81]
12
June 19, 2016
New Shepard 2
♺
331,501 ft (63 mi)
Success
Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused booster: The fourth launch and landing of the same rocket. The company published a live webcast of the takeoff and landing.[82]
13
October 5, 2016
New Shepard 2
♺
Booster:307,458 ft (58 mi)
Capsule:23,269 ft (4 mi)
Success
Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused booster. Successful test of the in-flight abort system. The fifth and final launch and landing of the same rocket (NS2).[83]
14
December 12, 2017
New Shepard 3
Booster:322,032 ft(61 mi)
Capsule:322,405 ft(61 mi)
Success
Flight to just under 100 km and landing. The first launch of NS3 and a new Crew Capsule 2.0.[84]
15
April 29, 2018
New Shepard 3
♺
351,000 ft (66 mi)
Success
Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused booster.[85]
16
July 18, 2018
New Shepard 3
♺
389,846 ft (74 mi)
Success
Sub-orbital spaceflight and landing of a reused booster, with the Crew Capsule 2.0–1 RSS H.G.Wells, carrying a mannequin. Successful test of the in-flight abort system at high altitude. Flight duration was 11 minutes.[86]
17
January 23, 2019
New Shepard 3
♺
351,000 ft (66 mi)
Success
Sub-orbital flight, delayed from December 18, 2018. Eight NASA research and technology payloads were flown.[87][88]
18
May 2, 2019
New Shepard 3
♺
346,000 ft (65 mi)
Success
Sub-orbital flight. Max Ascent Velocity: 2,217 mph (3,568 km/h),[89] duration: 10 minutes, 10 seconds. Payload: 38 microgravity research payloads (nine sponsored by NASA).
19
December 11, 2019
New Shepard 3
♺
343,000 ft (64 mi)
Success
Sub-orbital flight, Payload: Multiple commercial, research (8 sponsored by NASA) and educational payloads, including postcards from
7th flight of the same capsule/booster. Onboard 12 payloads include Space Lab Technologies, Southwest Research Institute, postcards and seeds for Club for the Future, and multiple payloads for NASA including SPLICE to test future lunar landing technologies in support of the Artemis program[93]
21
January 14, 2021
New Shepard 4
350,858 ft (66 mi)
Success
Uncrewed qualification flight for NS4 rocket and "RSS First Step" capsule and maiden flight for NS4.[94]
22
April 14, 2021
New Shepard 4
♺
348,753 ft (66 mi)
Success
2nd flight of NS4 with Astronaut Rehearsal. Gary Lai, Susan Knapp, Clay Mowry, and Audrey Powers, all Blue Origin personnel, are "stand-in astronauts". Lai and Powers briefly get in.[95]
Payload mission consisting of 18 commercial payloads inside the crew capsule, a NASA lunar landing technology demonstration installed on the exterior of the booster and an art installation installed on the exterior of the crew capsule.[98]
Uncrewed flight with commercial payloads onboard (NS-23). A booster failure triggered the launch escape system during flight, and the capsule landed successfully. The Blue Origin incident investigation found that a thermal-structural failure occurred on the BE-3 nozzle leading to the launch failure.[104]
31
December 19, 2023
New Shepard 4
♺
107.060 km (66.5242 mi)
Success
Successful Return to Flight mission (NS-24) following failure of NS-23 more than a year prior. 33 payloads and 38,000 Club for the Future postcards from students around the world.[105]
NASA partnerships and funding
The company has contracted to do work for
Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program for development of concepts and technologies to support future human spaceflight operations.[108][109]NASA co-funded risk-mitigation activities related to ground testing of (1) an innovative 'pusher' escape system, that lowers cost by being reusable and enhances safety by avoiding the jettison event of a traditional 'tractor' Launch Escape System, and (2) an innovative composite pressure vessel cabin that both reduces weight and increases safety of astronauts.[106] This was later revealed to be a part of a larger system, designed for a bionic capsule, that would be launched atop an Atlas V rocket.[110] On November 8, 2010, it was announced that the company had completed all milestones under its CCDev Space Act Agreement.[111]
In April 2011, The company received a commitment from
CCDev phase 2 program.[112] Milestones included (1) performing a Mission Concept Review (MCR) and System Requirements Review (SRR) on the orbital Space Vehicle, which utilizes a bionic shape to optimize its launch profile and atmospheric reentry, (2) further maturing the pusher escape system, including ground and flight tests, and (3) accelerating development of its BE-3 LOX/LH2 440 kN (100,000 lbf) engine through full-scale thrust chamber testing.[113]
In 2012,
Cape Canaveral AFS – following NASA's decision to lease the unused complex out as part of a bid to reduce annual operation and maintenance costs. The companies bid was for shared and non-exclusive use of the LC39A complex such that the launchpad was to have been able to interface with multiple vehicles, and costs for using the launch pad were to have been shared across multiple companies over the term of the lease. One potential shared user in the companies proposed plan was United Launch Alliance (ULA).Commercial use of the LC39A launch complex was awarded to SpaceX, which submitted a bid for exclusive use of the launch complex to support their crewed missions.[115]
The company completed work for NASA on several small development contracts, receiving total funding of $25.7 million by 2013.[106][112] In September 2013 – before completion of the bid period, and before any public announcement by NASA of the results of the process – Florida Today reported that the company had filed a protest with the U.S.General Accounting Office (GAO) "over what it says is a plan by NASA to award an exclusive commercial lease to SpaceX for use of mothballed space shuttle launch pad 39A".[116]NASA had originally planned to complete the bid award and have the pad transferred by October 1, 2013, but the protest delayed a decision until the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) reached a decision on the protest.[116][117]SpaceX said that they would be willing to support a multi-user arrangement for pad 39A.[118] In December 2013, the U.S.General Accounting Office (GAO) denied the companies protest and sided with NASA, which argued that the solicitation contained no preference on the use of the facility as either multi-use or single-use. "The [solicitation] document merely [asked] bidders to explain their reasons for selecting one approach instead of the other and how they would manage the facility".[117]NASA selected the SpaceX proposal in late 2013 and signed a 20-year lease contract for Launch Pad 39A to SpaceX in April 2014.[119]
The company placed their first bid via the NASA Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) competition to fund and develop a lunar lander capable of transporting astronauts to and from the lunar surface. The Blue Origin led team called the "National Team" included, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Draper. On April 30, 2020, the company and its partners won a $579 million contract to start developing and testing an integrated Human Landing System (HLS) for the Artemis program to return humans to the Moon.[120][121] However, the Blue Origin led team lost their first bid to work for NASA's Artemis program and on April 16, 2021, NASA officially selected the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to develop, test and build their version of the Human Landing System (HLS) for Artemis missions 2 (II), 3 (III) and 4 (IV).
The company then announced on December 6, 2022, that it had submitted a second bid via the NASA Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) competition to fund and develop a second lunar lander capable for transporting astronauts to and from the lunar surface. The announcement fell within NASA's deadline for Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) proposals. As with their first bid, the company is leading another team called the "National Team" which includes Draper, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Astrobotic, Honeybee Robotics and Blue Origin.[123]
On May 19, 2023
Artemis V mission, which explores the Moon and prepares future manned missions to Mars. The project includes an unmanned test mission followed by a manned Moon landing in 2029. The contract value is $3.4 billion.[35][36]
Internal and additional U.S Government funding
By July 2014,
Amazon stock per year to invest in the company.[125]Jeff Bezos has been criticized for spending excessive amounts of his fortune on spaceflight.[126]
The company received $181 million from the United States Air Force for launch vehicle development in 2019. The company was also eligible to benefit from further grants totaling $500M as part of the U.S. Space Force Launch Services Agreement competition.[127] On November 18, 2022, the U.S. Space Systems Command announced that an agreement with the company that "paves the way" for the company's New Glennrocket to compete for national security launch contracts once it completes its required flight certifications for Top Secretmilitary payloads.
In an interview with the Bob Smith by the financial Times in 2023, Smith said that the company had "hundreds of millions in revenue as well as billions of dollars in orders".[128]
Early test vehicles
Charon
Charon on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
The companies first flight test vehicle, called Charon after Pluto's moon,[129] was powered by four vertically mounted Rolls-Royce Viper Mk. 301 jet engines rather than rockets. The low-altitude vehicle was developed to test autonomous guidance and control technologies, and the processes that the company would use to develop its later rockets. Charon made its only test flight at Moses Lake, Washington on March 5, 2005. It flew to an altitude of 96 m (316 ft) before returning for a controlled landing near the liftoff point.[130][131] As of 2016, Charon is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.[132]
Goddard
The next test vehicle, named Goddard (also known as PM1), first flew on November 13, 2006. The flight was successful. A test flight for December 2 never launched.[133][134] According to Federal Aviation Administration records, two further flights were performed by Goddard.[135] Blue Engine 1, or BE-1, was the first rocket engine developed by the company and was used in the company's Goddard development vehicle.
PM2
Another early suborbital test vehicle, PM2, had two flight tests in 2011 in west Texas. The vehicle designation may be short for "Propulsion Module".[136] The first flight was a short hop (low altitude, VTVL takeoff and landing mission) flown on May 6, 2011. The second flight, August 24, 2011, failed when ground personnel lost contact and control of the vehicle. The company released its analysis of the failure nine days later. As the vehicle reached a speed of Mach 1.2 and 14 km (46,000 ft) altitude, a "flight instability drove an angle of attack that triggered [the] range safety system to terminate thrust on the vehicle".[137] Blue Engine 2, or BE-2, was a pump-fed bipropellant engine burning kerosene and peroxide which produced 140 kN (31,000 lbf) of thrust.[138][139] Five BE-2 engines powered the companies PM-2 development vehicle on two test flights in 2011.[140]
^"Privacy Policy". Blue Origin. February 15, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023. we at Blue Origin Enterprises, L.P. and our subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Blue Origin, LLC, Blue Origin Alabama, LLC, Blue Origin Federation, LLC, Blue Origin Florida, LLC, Blue Origin Management, LLC, Blue Origin Texas, LLC, and Blue Origin International, LLC, Honeybee Robotics, LLC (referred together as "Blue Origin"
^ abMorring, Frank Jr. (April 22, 2011). "Five Vehicles Vie To Succeed Space Shuttle". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on December 21, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011. the CCDev-2 awards...and went to Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corp. and Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX).