Questions tagged [blue-origin]
Blue Origin is a Jeff Bezos-founded private American aerospace manufacturer which is attempting to commercialize space tourism.
53 questions
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Difference between BlueOrigin and SpaceX rocket landings?
So, SpaceX has finally landed their booster back to the land. BlueOrigin has achieved the same thing in a recent past, but I have read so many people commenting and criticizing the comparison of ...
- 833
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Why does Blue Origin land the crew capsule separate from the booster?
New Shepard of Blue Origin separates the crew capsule from the booster. The crew capsule is in free fall for a while, then the parachutes open and finally the landing rockets give a brief impulse to ...
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Why does Blue Origin "like landing on a moving ship"?
In the Blue Origin YouTube video Replay of New Shepard Mission 8 Livestream, at 32:53 when the narrator is discussing future plans for the landing of the New Glenn ...
- 153k
14votes
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Why does Blue Origin claim Virgin Galactic's spaceplane doesn’t have an escape system whereas Virgin Galactic's passengers are wearing parachutes?
https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1413521631717122059 (mirror): vs. https://space.stackexchange.com/a/54072/1111 by John Thomas: [Virgin Galactic's passengers] do appear to be wearing parachutes....
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Why does the BE-4 use methane as fuel?
I understand the Mars ISRU reasoning for SpaceX's Raptor which is also going to be methalox based. But why would ULA, who is the prime customer for BE-4 besides Blue Origin itself, chose to support a ...
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1answer
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Do Blue Origin's BE-3 engines need to run for 7 seconds to "warm up"?
In the Blue Origin YouTube video Replay of New Shepard Mission 8 Livestream, "command engine start" is heard at T- 00:03, an audible "pop" can be heard at about <...
- 153k
10votes
1answer
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What is the cause of the blue light from LH2/LOX rocket engines?
Below are some screen shots from circa June 2016 launch (or re-launch) videos by Blue Origin (video link) and SpaceX (video link). The New Shepard burns $\text{H}_2$/$\text{O}_2$, while the Falcon 9 ...
- 153k
9votes
1answer
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Will the New Shepard be able to sit for long holds when filled with passengers?
In the Blue Origin YouTube video Replay of New Shepard Mission 8 Livestream, the first of several hold starts at T- 03:00 when the video is at about ...
- 153k
7votes
1answer
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Why two engines on stage 2 of New Glenn if it's disposable?
From a controls perspective, two engines is nice, as it's the minimum required for roll control. A single engine would give you just pitch and yaw control, so you'd need a separate system just for ...
user39728
7votes
2answers
447views
What has really happened with New Glenn booster on 16 January 2025?
What has really happened with the first stage of New Glenn (GS-1) on 16 January 2025? Official page said just that "We lost the booster during descent." Data translation from the booster was ...
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6votes
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Why does the New Shepard vehicle not have an exhaust trench?
Watching the video of the first Blue Origin New Shepard vehicle launch, it takes off from ground level, and does not seem to have an exhaust trench: Most launchers ...
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Why does the BE-3 use hydrogen as fuel?
We've covered why the BE-4 uses methane as fuel; what I want to know is, why did Blue Origin go with hydrogen for the BE-3? Liquid hydrogen is notoriously hard to work with; it seems like an odd ...
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6votes
1answer
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Will Richard Branson be setting any space firsts by beating Jeff Bezos' launch date?
Virgin Galactic is now saying they will launch Richard Branson on July 11 Dubbed the "Unity 22" mission, this flight on the VSS Unity spacecraft will carry a full crew of two pilots, Dave ...
- 8,228
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Potential improvement to BFR or New Glenn if equipped with aerospike exhaust on their engines?
Aerospikes basically tackle the issue of the variability in required expansion ratio for a rocket engine to be efficient at a given altitude. A recent example though mired in legal issues is a small ...
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5votes
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Will the New Glenn have grid fins? Why or why not?
The January 2019 Blue Origin video New Glenn: The Road to Space shows the rocket with static fins at the bottom and four articulated fins near the top of the first stage. Is this just notional, or ...
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