New Shepard rocket system successfully completed its seventh test launch: Here's what you need to know

On Tuesday, the New Shepard rocket system successfully completed its seventh test launch after it took off from a test facility in Texas. The rocket system was developed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s space company called Blue Origin to carry space tourists on short 'sub-orbital' trips. 

Congratulations to @blueorigin on another successful #NewShepard mission, completing the first integrated test of our precision landing technologies. Our engineers look forward to analyzing the data and preparing for the next flight!

Rewatch the launch: https://t.co/lEM9jyKPim pic.twitter.com/I1XWtna2pf

— NASA Technology (@NASA_Technology) October 13, 2020

Key Highlights: 

1- The Shepard rocket system was developed to carry space tourists over 100 km above the Earth so that they can experience microgravity.

2- The launch is referred to as NS-13. The capsule came down with the help of the parachutes while the booster performed vertical landing.

3- The system was carrying NASA's payload 'Splice'. 

4- The rocket system has been designed to carry astronauts who will research payloads past the Karman line.

5- 12 payloads were on-board including Deorbit, Descent and the Landing Sensor Demonstration under the NASA Tipping Point Partnership to perform precision landings on other planetary bodies.

6- During the test launch, there was no passenger on board.

7- As per the claims made by the company, the capsule features the largest windows ever sent into space. 

How does the rocket system work?

The rocket system consists of two parts-- cabin/capsule and rocket/booster. The cabin in the system can accommodate experiments from small mini payloads to up to 100 kg. 

As the name suggests, the cabin/capsule is designed for only six people. It is fixed atop a 60-ft tall rocket and detaches itself before crossing the Karman line. The capsule after the detachment free falls in space. On the other hand, the booster performs an autonomously controlled vertical landing back on the surface of the Earth. However, the capsule lands back on the Earth with the help of parachutes. Thus, this way, both the vehicles lands back on Earth and the system is fully reusable. 

Splice Sensor Systems

Draper, a Cambridge based research organization developed the first Splice Sensor systems to perform 'terrain relative navigation'. In this, the cameras collect real-time information about their surroundings. Once this information is gathered, it is compared with the pre-loaded maps to determine the exact location of the vehicle. 

Another sensor, Navigation Doppler Lidar, was developed by  Nasa's Langley Research Center based in Virginia to help vehicles land precisely. It also sends laser beams to the surface of the planetary body and detects the reflected signal to determine the vehicle's velocity and altitude.

Background

In 2018, NASA selected 10 companies to conduct researches for its missions to the Moon and Mars. In the year 2019, NASA and Blue Origin signed an agreement, allowing the later to use NASA's historic test stand. Both the companies are working on a mission to develop a lander capable of returning humans to the Moon in the year 2024. 

Karman Line

It is the internationally recognised boundary of space. It is 100 km high and is the altitude where space begins. In layman terms, it represents the border between the atmosphere of the Earth and the outer space. 

About New Shepard

The rocket system has been named after astronaut Mercury Alan Shepard. In 1961, he became the first American to go to space and in 1971, he walked on the surface of the moon. The rocket system is developed to provide easier and more cost-effective access to space for academic researches, developmental and entrepreneurial ventures. 

About Blue Origins

It is founded in the year 2000 and is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The company is headquartered in Kent, Washington and aims at making access to space cheaper and more reliable with the help of its reusable launch vehicles. Its competitor is SpaceX which is owned by Elon Musk. 

NASA's Artemis Program

NASA is planning to send a man and a woman to the lunar South Pole under its Artemis Program. NASA will be landing first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. 

Ofek 16 reconnaissance satellite launched by Israel: Here's all you need to know

Emirates Mars Mission 'Hope' launched: All you need to know about UAE's first mission to Mars