Lifting-off from the Van Horn facility, Texas, at 1335 GMT 13 October a Blue Origin New Shepard booster completed its seventh consecutive mission. Whilst this flight was the seventh for this booster in particular, it marks the thirteenth overall for the “New Shepard launch system”. This sub-orbital mission carried numerous scientific payloads distributed between the booster and capsule. The primary payload, known as SPLICE, was carried for NASA and is part of its development of autonomous spacecraft landing technologies, specifically extra-planetary landings.
Blue Origin New Shepard on NS-13 flight. Courtesy: Blue Origin via Twitter/Space News
The New Shepard first-stage performed a successful powered landing back at the launch site eight minutes after lift-off. This was followed by the completion of the mission, with the landing of the unmanned Crew Module 10 minutes 14 seconds after lift-off. The Crew Module achieved a reported apogee of 107 km.
