Blastoff! Blue Origin launches 33 payloads on 1st mission in 15 months, nails landing

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket launched 33 research payloads and 38,000 postcards for Club for the Future on a suborbital flight on Dec. 19, 2023. Full Story: www.space.com/blue-origin-ret...
"The vehicle hasn't flown since Sept. 12, 2022, when it suffered an anomaly during an uncrewed research flight," according to Space.com
Credit: Blue Origin

[@rengarcia5189]

Ok, when Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos actually put something into orbit, somebody wake me up.

[@walter857]

It goes straight up and comes straight down. Amazing!

[@kcole7839]

Yeah but 33 payloads almost got to space

[@bliksemdonder5624]

Maybe someday we will see BO do an orbital attempt. These hops are no longer impressive...

[@chippysteve4524]

-and just like Amazon drivers,they have nowhere to pee!

[@mauricegold9377]

@@chippysteve4524 Yes, but on their there-and-back-again-in 6-minute flights, even uber-rich people can be persuaded to hold their pee. Unless they have to wait hours in the pre-launch. Diapers might work.

[@JurassicJenkins]

@@mauricegold9377- A fitting opportunity for Amazon. 😂

[@andrewdahl4313]

AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT Blue Origin! After nearly a quarter century since your incorporation you guys are solidly hitting your stride of a suborbital launch every year or so. Try to NOT let success go to your heads! Keep up this pace and we're all looking forward to your first orbital attempt sometime in the 2050's. Go Team BO!!!

[@jps99]

I see what you did there. Smooth!

[@wwerty234]

Lmfao 😂

[@Trey4x4]

Stfu you have no merit to be giving them advice lmao

[@p42uynot59]

😂 the 2050's for sure.

[@Yosser70]

Ouch! 😂

[@GamerplayerWT]

Am I the only one that thinks it looks like a rather large phallic symbol?

[@newqlar]

Imagine how difficult it must’ve been for the guests to keep a straight face when Jeff unveiled the 12 inch mockup of that rocket… 😂

[@the.parks.of.no.return]

I think the model was presented in a discreet box

[@tkiehn13]

Their rocket looks like a big dick just like bezos does.

[@RealBLAlley]

Which in reality was 5 inches.

[@ythinder]

Earth's atmosphere smiles every time it re-enters

[@walter857]

When I was a kid I had a rocket that went up, then the parachute popped out and it floated back to Earth. Kind of like this thing.

[@Thunderbyrd.]

And just like yours, BO's didn't reach space either.

[@-108-]

@@Thunderbyrd. Yahuh! It did too! Jeff Bezos is in competition with Elon Musk!! No, for reals! He really is!! The Washington Post even said he is!

[@bad406camaro]

@@-108- BAHAHAHAHAHAHA Made me lololol thanks

[@richardhobbs7107]

@walter857 - When I was a bit younger my rocketry experimentation involved filling a paper tube coated with plaster of paris & filled with match-tips clipped from book matches . Plaster launch pad with 2' high wire guide for takeoffs & train transformer connected to thin wire filament inserted in 'nozzle' for ignition. The first launch was a success with the rocket rising just above rooftop height all the while spraying burning match-tips onto the dry / brown grass of our backyard ! ! ! Luckily my brother was quick with the garden hose racing around the yard extinguishing the results of my amazing accomplishment . . . . . . . . Wish I had documented with Brownie Camera photos . . . . .

[@Zerbey]

Amazing, didn't see any of the Space views, or most of the launch. Well done Blue Origin, you really nailed this webcast.

[@TheScandinavian41]

Because Blue Origin is a joke. NASAS Better than they are.

[@p42uynot59]

REALLY?😂

[@HenrikSkov-DK]

I completely agree. I actually don't even know what happened? Did they send something into space or did they just fly up into the air, throw off the top and then both land again?

[@Cafaura]

Good on em. Private competition is the best for the space section. Bravo team

[@TheFNASSHOLE]

It was a pretty underwhelming experience watching this. It is like the K-Mart of space travel🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@tedburton8490]

But the announcers were SO enthusiastic!!

[@BigBoaby-sg1yo]

You mean the Walt Disney of space travel ? 👋👋👋😂😂😂😂😎

[@surgemeister01]

Freaking Great Value 🤣🤣

[@timcent7199]

What thoroughly enjoyable commentary. Informative, calm, clear and concise teamwork. I did NOT expect that at all.

[@douginorlando6260]

The difference between jumping up 10 times higher than commercial aircraft versus going orbital is huge. Energy wise, it’s only about 5% of what’s needed to go orbital.

[@paulhiggins6024]

Meanwhile at Boca Chica……..

[@ChrisBussells]

Yeah, orbital velocity is over 17,000 mph- this thing peaks out at about 2,225 mph. Almost laughable, just another billionaire vanity project.

[@surgemeister01]

​@@ChrisBussellsand bezos can't understand why SpaceX gets awarded the NASA contracts.

[@Xz12h]

This launch was riveting, that's the biggest estes rocket i've ever seen.

[@ArnCital]

In the early 60s I built and flew a few Estes rockets. I was 15-16 at the time.

[@-108-]

Exactly.

[@-108-]

@@ArnCital So did Jeff Bezos... when he was in his late 50s. lol

[@GONZOFAM7]

Sales pitch and self soothing affirmations the whole time. The landing was the coolest part.

[@richardhobbs7107]

When I was a bit younger my rocketry experimentation involved filling a paper tube coated with plaster of paris & filled with match-tips clipped from book matches . Plaster launch pad with 2' high wire guide for takeoffs & train transformer connected to thin wire filament inserted in 'nozzle' for ignition. The first launch was a success with the rocket rising just above rooftop height all the while spraying burning match-tips onto the dry / brown grass of our backyard ! ! ! Luckily my brother was quick with the garden hose racing around the yard extinguishing the results of my amazing accomplishment . . . . . . . .

[@zackma]

10+ years behind spaceX

[@jimrenner9401]

10. ???? 50

[@bliksemdonder5624]

at least

[@brucelytle1144]

This is like a Mercury capsule on a Redstone rocket in 1960! Different monkeys! That landing is a sweet swoop in tho!

[@tedjones-ho2zk]

The only way Blue Origin makes it to space will be on a SpaceX Rocket

[@p42uynot59]

​​@tedjones-ho2zk It got to space here, but did nothing special. Is Blue Origin even turning a profit on ANYTHING yet?? 😂 SpaceX is sending up a Falcon 9 damn near weekly AND successfully with REAL missions being accomplished. When Starship reaches orbital space successfully, it's OVER for any competition. I like that Blue Origin keeps trying, but they'll never match SpaceX's record. I would bet the moon on that.

[@geoffreyluce9254]

I am so grateful for the wonderful trip! My daughter is a rocket engineer, waking up at 2:30AM before the launch. She now gets to fly home for Christmas!

[@wwerty234]

How much did it cost?

[@nickm764]

It's amazing how far behind Blue Origin is

[@steve0826]

and it looks like a penis, sorry for being so honest.

[@dennyoconnor8680]

Congratulations to the engineers and technicians who solved the technical issues. Now, move on before the inevitable happens.

[@Thunderbyrd.]

Maybe one day BO will actually go to space.

[@nowhereman1046]

They went past the Karman Line, so yes, they did.

[@RealBLAlley]

@@nowhereman1046 The Karman line is completely arbitrary, as is the line the US uses. The atmosphere is a gradient, so much so the Moon is technically within it. In my opinion, the only way to truly be classified as an astronaut is to achieve at least one full orbit of the Earth. For instance, the people who ride this Bezos Organ compensator do not deserve the same accolades as the crew of Inspiration4, not only based on the flight but the fact the latter actually trained as astronauts and performed tasks while in orbit.

[@nowhereman1046]

@@RealBLAlley Okay, let's take that illogical logic all the way. Since the exosphere of the Earth's atmosphere extends up to 3/4 of the way to the Moon, then no astronaut, except the Apollo astronauts, and only relative handful of spacecraft have ever been truly in space. Your ill-informed "opinion" also denigrates great men like Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom who flew suborbital flights for Mercury (they were consider by the world as astronauts) as well as several brave pilots who all flew above the Karman line in the X-15, suborbitally and were considered astronauts for doing so. This also is pure evil in insulting also the feat that SpaceShipOne achieved two decades ago and the pilots that flew it past the Karman line as well on suborbital flights. All this because you suffer from Bezos Derangement Syndrome. Shame, shame, shame on you!

[@thomasackerman5399]

@@RealBLAlley So, using your own "definitions", there has been only a handful of actual astronauts and a handful of spacecraft to actually go to space since some of the Earth's atmosphere extends most of the way to the moon! This is just hate-filled garbage on your part.

[@RealBLAlley]

@@thomasackerman5399 The irony of accusing me of being hate filled when you react with anger and lazy conclusions in response to a differing opinion. I made an intelligent and logical case for the designation of "Astronaut" being based on more than a non-participatory ride to high altitude. Even those early pioneers who didn't orbit the Earth still trained for months, and were test pilots before that.

[@Gandalf_Lundgren]

What a smooth landing for the capsule! /s

[@viaexcellence]

Congratulations, Blue Origin! The video quality could have been better.

[@Fudog1138]

Right on. Love to see good news.

[@tylertoenyes7530]

Launched the payload to earth 🌎

[@bsmith4u2]

As a comparison, Falcon 9 is going 8,500+ mph at the same altitude and accelerating. 281 flights into space, 239 boostrer landings and 214 reflights.

[@nebtheweb8885]

Yet, outside of their great booster landings, and reuse, they are still only just duplicating what has been done by others decades ago. A rocket engine is still just a rocket engine. They still use an oxidizer, and a fuel to power them. The fins they use to steer their boosters back through the atmosphere is old tech from the 50s invented by the Ruskies and also used on the MOB (Mother of all Bombs). And they are not financially kneecapped by the political nonsense when administrations are changed from one party to another.

[@denismoran670]

Well done - I admire your faith in the design, lovely flight. Den, Cymru.

[@markheller8646]

So this is what it was like in the early sixties…how historic.

[@geofflatz9035]

Very well done Blue Origin excellent

[@cynthia7564]

It's always nice to see achievements by those people willing to take risks.

[@chippysteve4524]

!st launch in 15 months. Never built an orbital craft. All operations under a media blackout except PR stunts with William Shatner and minority groups. What kind of risk-taking are you talking about?

[@deepprey2776]

“Willing to take risks” is why SpaceX is a younger comp yet years ahead of this circus show

[@TheLonePeddler]

What risk? This is their 1st launch in 15 months. Smaller space startups have a higher launch cadence than blue origin.

[@fredjones7705]

It's nothing but a glorified Bottle Rocket.

[@-108-]

There is no achievement here beyond a middle school level science project.

[@FadingVitals]

We need more competition in the space rocket industry!

[@JFJ12]

love the simplicity of the system

[@thatfeeble-mindedboy]

Witnessing that thing come down out of the sky and land under the power of retro rockets must be nothing short of surreal.

[@ronniebauman28]

Ive watched this little guy land countless times. Its vecome so routine for these folks. The New Shepard team is a well-oiled unit at this point. Which gives me hope for BO and New Glenn.

[@dirkpitt5468]

LOVE THE TELEMETRY!! Great shots of the flight. Well done.

[@papepcool]

Now that’s huge. I’m having rocket envy.

[@S-K555]

That THRUST is seriously looking cool

[@dougk5456]

If this was a suborbital mission, I take it the payloads did not go into orbit.

[@gyorgygajdos1657]

It was suborbital, just a vertical jump and back

[@fredjones7705]

BO has never launched orbital. This thing is pathetic.

[@PedroTRamos1]

@@fredjones7705 Still cool to watch this thing land.

[@knewhunter1]

So is this supposed to be cheaper than the Vomit Comet? Surely it has less payload.

[@-108-]

That is one of the most mindless comments I've ever read. lol

[@hansmarheim7620]

Fantastic! Just loved to see this.

[@shankarbalakrishnan2360]

Well done jeff❤❤

[@Benjaminduduu]

really took us along for the ride... absolutely gripping footage. thanks so much for the best webcast ever.... wow

[@chippysteve4524]

Errr headed TOWARDS space not TO space.

[@albettmwathi5729]

😮 what a nice landing

[@daviscout1995]

Sucess, parabéns BLUE origin

[@aqlevy]

Coming along. Competition will be good for everyone.

[@realmstupid-on8df]

That thing went to space and came back circumcised

[@blakesbunker]

I like the achievement. Try making a orbit.

[@tedjones-ho2zk]

The only way Blue Origin makes it to space will be on a SpaceX Rocket

[@SZEW3]

Blue origin is the spirit airlines of spaceflight.

[@Sir-.-]

Incredibly impressive 👏 👌 congratulations 😉

[@otiebrown9999]

Straight up ... Straight down ... A new record!!!

[@tedjones-ho2zk]

The only way Blue Origin makes it to space will be on a SpaceX Rocket

[@nowhereman1046]

@@tedjones-ho2zk They have made to space, almost two dozen times. Reaching space doesn't require going orbital. But then, I wouldn't expect you to be anything other than ignorant.

[@rogerrussell9544]

Did the FAA make them wait and did the radio contact get approved very quickly?

[@Pintuuuxo]

Well... I can calculate miles and feet, but it would be nice to embrace the international units. And... BO should aim higher.

[@schmoonkie]

I completely agree. Giving the altitude in feet makes no sense to me.

[@gaudywidget]

because America!!

[@schmoonkie]

@@gaudywidget Huh?

[@kcole7839]

@@schmoonkie Its a big impressive number.

[@schmoonkie]

@@kcole7839 It would have been even more impressive if they'd used inches instead... ;-)

[@HR-yd5ib]

Is the plan to at one point go to a stable orbit or reach the ISS? What was the payload on this flight???

[@SirCharles12357]

Good job everyone!! Congrats!!!

[@FadingVitals]

Watch out SpaceX!

[@terryrobinson5250]

Wild watching this is like watching a 70,s sitcom to space X Matrix Trilogy

[@imperiabenavidessanchez1404]

AMAZING 😳👌🏻❤️

[@bad406camaro]

Not really

[@danielkantor3248]

That payload capsule doesn’t look its retro rockets fired. It was a hard landing and it looks like some debris was created, shown falling after it touched down.

[@knewhunter1]

Hope it wasn't carrying anything breakable!

[@penguin44ca]

No debris. Those were chute covers. But rockets def didn't fire.

[@galaxyboots]

They def did fire.. put it in slow mo and watch the speed reduce seconds before landing. Literally everyone says the retro's didn't fire every single time. But they always do.

[@electricwally]

@@galaxyboots … Good catch! I reduced the video down to 25% and at the last 3 seconds (before touchdown) I noticed the descent speed was reduced to ‘zero’. Yep, they sure did fire ! All that dust upon landing is perhaps the dry desert soil that takes absolutely nothing to kick up.

[@minmo2288]

It’s not a rocket that it uses it’s more like an RCS thruster with compressed gas so it’s hard to see.

[@mdeeen]

clean landing

[@c.a.nixiii4650]

That was sorta cool on the landing but it floated! Then leaning tower of Bezos?

[@jbl7092]

That's a cool little rocket 🚀 😎

[@user-po2ul4mg7y]

КРУТО. Уже копить начал на полет 😁

[@alexprost7505]

За минуту невисомости? Не, я пожалуй куплю самолет

[@theirrydamiens5840]

Yes

[@johnbauby6612]

Awesome to see a real space company at work.

[@SuperRoutman]

Only 15,300 miles per hour too slow

[@mauricegold9377]

Where? What real space company? Did we all miss something?

[@jscanoy]

Aha aha aha you're so funny Jeff 🤣

[@johnbauby6612]

You did! There are actual, real space companies out there like NASA, ESA, hell, even India has a real space company. You were probably distracted watching starship explode, twice.@@mauricegold9377

[@danielweston9188]

Just a beautiful Rocket - so graceful . .

[@-108-]

If a phallus was ever graceful, this would be it.

[@BlackBuck777]

Always impressed by how excited the commentators are, and rightly so. Space (ok, nearly) is exciting. But it's not really as cool as getting to orbit or beyond, is it?

[@PersonalStash420]

No it isn't. This is the worlds most expensive amusement ride.

[@graxxor]

90s of freefall.

[@thomasackerman5399]

@@PersonalStash420 That would be a lie.

[@jim-lu7il]

Wow !!!! Never mind. Another company has been doing this for years. I guess they are proud they are catching up.

[@nickdsp8089]

Altitude in feet? Better miles or Km. Or inches for bigger numbers .

[@cynvision]

I think they try to make it relate to airplane travel. Joe on the street might know aircraft top out at 31,000 feet. Feet and inches and miles still rule in my part of America.

[@tedjones-ho2zk]

The only way Blue Origin makes it to space will be on a SpaceX Rocket

[@nowhereman1046]

@@tedjones-ho2zk 107 km is past the 100 km Karman Line and into space.

[@materialburst983]

Amazing.

[@2150dalek]

CoOL looking rocket.

[@waynespringer3320]

Good to see a success from Blue Origin.

[@ikomangwirawan7361]

Congratulations..

[@heribertodelgado7034]

Very impressive.

[@skypilotace]

Did anyone notice that the capsule did not retrofire to cushion the landing? It hit the ground going the full 18mph. If the payload had been humans, they would probably have very sore backs right now. I can imagine that all the experiments have been severely jarred.

[@galaxyboots]

comments like this are on every BO landing and yes they definitely did fire.

[@bartomiejbudnik4047]

Ja też zwróciłem na to uwagę. Mało tego, czekałem na retrofire bo komentatorzy o tym wspomnieli. A tu nic! Kapsuła wyrżnęła z prędkością 25 km/h! Podniósł się kurz w momencie uderzenia. To z pewnością zaboli załogę...

[@stratcat3216]

Actually the last time the 'landed' it was a disaster. Occupants would have died@@galaxyboots

[@hubpaq]

he hit the ground at 2 mph look at the data

[@nowhereman1046]

There's always a bunch of goofballs that say this after every landing of the capsule. You can see the retros fire off, and the capsule slow significantly before touchdown.

[@383Iron]

I did not see the retro thrust system fire.

[@FriendinFlorida]

where are the live inside cameras?

[@markpensarn593]

Fairground ride 😊

[@cody9606]

I thought they were giving up since their so far behind space x

[@CommentConqueror]

non stop one way round trip straight up then back down

[@remhouser5149]

This is like a knockoff Lego vs the real Lego that's SpaceX.

[@jabulaniharvey]

Experiments in freefall....seriously😢😢😢. ... data quantity/duration😢😢😢😢

[@noli-timere-crede-tantum]

Why have telemetry in miles and feet?

[@marcmayou1422]

great job

[@knightnight42069]

why does this remind me of the nikola commercial, they assumed the truck is powered by an electric motor but it was secretly rolling down the hill.

[@SubtlyDisillusioned]

SOOOO COOL!!!

[@kensummers7757]

That is SO darling.

[@1oldsoldier28]

Why are the images so poor quality. Space X streams 4K video quality so we can actually see whats going on !!

[@thomasackerman5399]

Um, their X streaming is really poor quality right now.

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

Alan Shepard made sub-orbital flights in 1961, 62 years ago. So much progress since then...lol.

[@Djamonja]

Don't be stupid.

[@thomasackerman5399]

Quite a bit in this case since Alan Shepard's one-man Mercury capsule couldn't be reused and was tiny by comparison to the 6-person fully reusable capsule of New Shepard. Nor was the Redstone booster reusable compared to the NS Propulsion Module boosters.

[@Bwilliams2]

Phenomenal how private industry has accomplished so much.

[@fredjones7705]

SpaceX yes but this thing is a joke. It has about 2.5 % of the necessary energy required to attain orbit. It's just an expensive carnival ride.

[@eyeco2]

It wasn't designed to go to orbit. That's not what's it's for. That's coming down the line. As for carnival ride. That's what people said about cars and planes at one point, this has to happen to move forward.

[@fredjones7705]

@@eyeco2 SpaceX has launched 42 astronauts into earth orbit. Blue Origin has launched zero. Next year SpaceX will begin demonstrating refueling in orbit. Last month they came very close to orbiting a Starship. Imagine a fully fueled Starship in orbit. It could go anywhere in the solar system. While Blue Origin continues to send tourist above the Karman line for 3 minutes at a quarter million dollars a head. If they don't orbit soon they're done.

[@fredjones7705]

@@eyeco2 Jeff should probably just cut his losses and sell it to 6 Flags.

[@paulhiggins6024]

Trouble is, for BO, the line is a long one…..@@eyeco2

[@ingidraws]

What's with all the negativity, dear humans? --- I like Coke, but I also like Pepsi just as much ... I even liked RC Cola ... oh, and do you remember Spur ... not to mention Jolly Cola (Danish) :D What I really enjoy about Blue Origin's treks to space (yeah, yeah -- I know!) is its controlled landing that gently soothes my tactile-visual experience with that glorious hover ... that almost feels like it should be narrated -- "Ok, Ok! Here we are, now let's hover a bit ... yeeee .... OK, what's the situation ... hmmm ... Well --- all looks good, let's touch the ground ...ahhhhh there we go!" :D SpaceX's slam-dunk landing always ramps me up emotionally and then floods me with relief as it lands :) --- The fact that we have two companies flying up 'there' and coming down to land, and using two different ways about that ... well, that just feels all kinds of cool to this buckaroo :D

[@monching1120]

Nice!

[@curtbevington77]

Kinda small.. but well done... finally. Actually going into orbit and deploying something substantial might have been even better...

[@NoInfoFound]

That's what she said.

[@nowhereman1046]

August is when New Glenn is currently scheduled. A lot of major hardware was seen moving around the factory at the Cape, and they're getting ready for 2nd stage tanking and static fire tests at LC-36.

[@leorickpccenter]

what payload launch?

[@kartheekveera1014]

why did apollo use black color shuttle when it is white

[@marktuyet]

These type of experiments were done decades ago.

[@HLLeRoy]

Amazing if they ever make it to orbit.

[@johncarter6238]

Space the final frontier, to boldly go Where no man has gone before. Hahahaha this is the beginning a flying coca cola can in the shape of a Penis

[@planetluzzo9079]

That's a neat little toy.

[@tedjones-ho2zk]

The only way Blue Origin makes it to space will be on a SpaceX Rocket

[@nowhereman1046]

@@tedjones-ho2zk Past the Karman Line is in space.

[@nowhereman1046]

Over 50 feet tall, 25 tons. Carried 31 people to space and back safely, and now 150 experiments and tech payloads past the Karman Line of 100 km.

[@oscr_zen]

next time will be my mom, so she stops saying the Earth is flat

[@mikegriffin2762]

WOW

[@roggenbram5939]

They use feet to have higher altitude numbers than the competition ? :)

[@carlosprada4852]

Not showing the payload deployment...

[@theirrydamiens5840]

Very good

[@dianafarmer5445]

Where did this one launch from?

[@nowhereman1046]

Launch Site One located in Corn Ranch near Van Horn, Texas.

[@aone9050]

33 payloads in a complex sounding rocket, so revolutionary.

[@paulhiggins6024]

Some the size of microschips. So not a huge payload in reality.

[@mauricegold9377]

It only took BO 23 years to get from zilch to this.