At 1556 GMT on 14 April, Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital launch vehicle and Mk 3 version of the capsule made another successful uncrewed launch beyond the Karman Line official limit of space (100km). The actual altitude reached a peak at 106 km over the Van Horn launch site in West Texas, before the capsule separated to make a soft parachute arrested landing and the reusable rocket stage on its second flight made a controlled powered landing. Loading and unloading a crew were practiced before and after the flight as it is thought that the next mission will have humans aboard.
Typical flight plan for Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital launches. Courtesy: Blue Origin
While several years behind the originally envisaged start date, the launch marks another step ahead of its Virgin Galactic rival which has yet to breach the Karman line.
