New Shepard
Active Re-UsableBlue Origin (BO)
April 29, 2015
Description
The New Shepard reusable launch system is a vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing (VTVL), suborbital manned rocket that is being developed by Blue Origin as a commercial system for suborbital space tourism.
Specifications
-
Stages
1 -
Length
15.0 m -
Diameter
3.7 m -
Fairing Diameter
― -
Launch Mass
75.0 T -
Thrust
490.0 kN -
Apogee (Sub-Orbital)
100.0 km
Family
-
Name
New Shepard -
Family
― -
Variant
― -
Alias
― -
Full Name
New Shepard
Payload Capacity
-
Launch Cost
― -
Low Earth Orbit
― -
Geostationary Transfer
Orbit
― -
Direct Geostationary
― -
Sun-Synchronous Capacity
―
Blue Origin
Commercial
CEO: Jeff Bezos
BO 2000Blue Origin is an American privately funded aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company set up by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos with its headquarters in Kent, Washington. The company is developing technologies to enable private human access to space with the goal to dramatically lower costs and increase reliability. Blue Origin currently launches its New Shepard sub-orbital vehicle from its West Texas launch site, they are currently constructing a launch pad for their orbital vehicle New Glenn at Cape Canaveral LC-36.
Upcoming Spaceflights
New Shepard | NS-29
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Jan. 28, 2025, 4 p.m.
Status: Go for Launch
Mission:
NS-29 will simulate the Moon’s gravity and fly 30 payloads, all but one of which is focused on testing lunar-related technologies. The payloads will experience at least two minutes of lunar gravity forces, a first for New Shepard and made possible in part through support from NASA. The flight will test six broad lunar technology areas: In-situ resource utilization, dust mitigation, advanced habitation systems, sensors and instrumentation, small spacecraft technologies, and entry descent and landing. Proving out these technologies at lower cost is another step toward Blue Origin’s mission to lower the cost of access to space for the benefit of Earth. It also enables NASA and other lunar surface technology providers to test innovations critical to achieving Artemis program goals and exploring the Moon’s surface. The New Shepard crew capsule is using its Reaction Control System (RCS) to spin up to approximately 11 revolutions per minute. This spin rate simulates one-sixth Earth gravity at the midpoint of the crew capsule lockers. In simulated lunar gravity, customers can accelerate their learning and technology readiness for lunar payloads at much lower cost.
Suborbital NS-5 - Flight Proven ( ) Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West TexasNew Shepard | NS-28
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Nov. 22, 2024, 3:30 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-27
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Oct. 23, 2024, 3:27 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-26
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Aug. 29, 2024, 1:07 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-25
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
May 19, 2024, 2:35 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-24
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Dec. 19, 2023, 4:42 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Twenty-fourth flight of New Shepard carrying the same 36 science and research payloads and tens of thousands of postcards from Club For Future that flew on the failed NS-23 flight.
Suborbital NS-4 - Flight Proven ( ) Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West TexasNew Shepard | NS-23
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Sept. 12, 2022, 2:27 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-22
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Aug. 4, 2022, 1:57 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-21
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
June 4, 2022, 1:25 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-20
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
March 31, 2022, 1:58 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-19
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Dec. 11, 2021, 3 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-18
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Oct. 13, 2021, 2:49 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-17
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Aug. 26, 2021, 2:31 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Seventeenth flight of New Shepard. It will carry a second NASA lunar landing technology demonstration on the exterior of the booster, 18 commercial payloads inside the crew capsule, and an art installation on the exterior of the capsule.
Suborbital NS-3 - Flight Proven ( ) Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West TexasNew Shepard | NS-16
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
July 20, 2021, 1:12 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-15
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
April 14, 2021, 4:49 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Fifteenth flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. During the mission, astronaut operational exercises will be conducted in preparation for human space flight. The primary operations will entail Blue Origin personnel standing in as astronauts entering into the capsule prior to launch. These astronauts will climb the launch tower, get into their seats, buckle their harnesses, and conduct a communications check from their seat with CAPCOM, the Capsule Communicator. The tower operations team will prepare the capsule cabin for launch and then briefly close the capsule hatch. The astronauts will then exit the capsule prior to launch. Post-landing, the astronauts will get inside the capsule to rehearse hatch opening, and exiting the capsule at the landing site. Inside the capsule during the flight will be Mannequin Skywalker, along with more than 25,000 postcards on behalf of Club for the Future, Blue Origin’s nonprofit organization
Suborbital NS-4 - Flight Proven ( ) Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West TexasNew Shepard | NS-14
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Jan. 14, 2021, 5:19 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
For this mission, the New Shepard crew capsule will be outfitted with upgrades for the astronaut experience as the program nears human space flight. The upgrades include improvements to environmental features such as acoustics and temperature regulation inside the capsule, crew display panels, and speakers with a microphone and push-to-talk button at each seat. The mission will also test a number of astronaut communication and safety alert systems. The capsule will be outfitted with six seats, including one occupied by Mannequin Skywalker.
Suborbital NS-4 - Maiden Flight Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West Texas
New Shepard | NS-13
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Oct. 13, 2020, 1:37 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
This will be the 13th New Shepard mission and the 7th consecutive flight for this particular vehicle (a record), demonstrating its operational reusability. New Shepard will fly 12 commercial payloads to space and back on this mission, including the Deorbit, Descent, and Landing Sensor Demonstration with NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate under a Tipping Point partnership. This is the first payload to fly mounted on the exterior of a New Shepard booster rather than inside the capsule, opening the door to a wide range of future high-altitude sensing, sampling, and exposure payloads.
Suborbital NS-3 - Flight Proven ( ) Corn Ranch Landing Pad, West TexasNew Shepard | NS-12
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Dec. 11, 2019, 5:55 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-11
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
May 2, 2019, 1:35 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-10
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Jan. 23, 2019, 3:05 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-9
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
July 18, 2018, 3 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-8
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
April 29, 2018, 5:07 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-7
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Dec. 12, 2017, 4:59 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-6
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Oct. 5, 2016, 4:36 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-5
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
June 19, 2016, 3:15 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-4
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
April 2, 2016, 4:18 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-3
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Jan. 22, 2016, 4 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-2
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
Nov. 23, 2015, 5:21 p.m.
New Shepard | NS-1
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
April 29, 2015, 5:06 p.m.
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