Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has cleared the final hurdle in preparing for its maiden voyage, as a successful test-firing of its seven BE-4 main engines took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The hotfire exercise marked the culmination of weeks of preparation and paves the way for the rocket's planned launch.
According to Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, the test firing saw all seven engines reach full power for 38 seconds, generating nearly 3.9 million pounds of thrust. Engineers extended this test-firing and shut down some of the BE-4 engines to simulate the booster's landing burn sequence.
The success of the hotfire comes after Blue Origin missed its initial landing target on the rocket's inaugural mission in January, missing by just 10 seconds. The company is counting on recovering the first stage on the next flight and plans to reuse this booster on the third New Glenn launch early next year.
Meanwhile, NASA is also gearing up for a major scientific mission aboard the New Glenn, as the twin spacecraft ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) are set to study the interaction between the solar wind and Mars' magnetosphere. The mission aims to unlock the secrets behind atmospheric escape on Mars, which scientists believe is key to understanding the planet's transformation from a warm and wet world to its current arid state.
The ESCAPADE spacecraft will be launched on the New Glenn rocket at a cost of $20 million, significantly less than previous Mars missions. With the twin probes expected to arrive at Mars in September 2027, they will begin their science observations several months later.
Blue Origin and NASA are working together on this mission as part of a new family of relatively low-cost Solar System missions. The success of these endeavors could pave the way for more cost-effective space exploration initiatives in the future.
According to Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, the test firing saw all seven engines reach full power for 38 seconds, generating nearly 3.9 million pounds of thrust. Engineers extended this test-firing and shut down some of the BE-4 engines to simulate the booster's landing burn sequence.
The success of the hotfire comes after Blue Origin missed its initial landing target on the rocket's inaugural mission in January, missing by just 10 seconds. The company is counting on recovering the first stage on the next flight and plans to reuse this booster on the third New Glenn launch early next year.
Meanwhile, NASA is also gearing up for a major scientific mission aboard the New Glenn, as the twin spacecraft ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) are set to study the interaction between the solar wind and Mars' magnetosphere. The mission aims to unlock the secrets behind atmospheric escape on Mars, which scientists believe is key to understanding the planet's transformation from a warm and wet world to its current arid state.
The ESCAPADE spacecraft will be launched on the New Glenn rocket at a cost of $20 million, significantly less than previous Mars missions. With the twin probes expected to arrive at Mars in September 2027, they will begin their science observations several months later.
Blue Origin and NASA are working together on this mission as part of a new family of relatively low-cost Solar System missions. The success of these endeavors could pave the way for more cost-effective space exploration initiatives in the future.
They've been working tirelessly to get this thing ready and it's awesome to see it come together 
And can you believe the cost of that NASA mission? $20 million for a mission that could change our understanding of Mars' magnetosphere?! That's like, crazy affordable 
I'm also loving the fact that Blue Origin is planning to reuse that booster on the third launch – it's all about sustainability and reducing waste 
I mean, we're getting to the point where anyone can just strap together some engines and call themselves a space company 
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for innovation and competition, but we need to make sure that we're doing this in a way that's responsible and safe for everyone involved 
It's like the ultimate collaboration – the private sector bringing its A-game while the government provides the expertise and resources 
We need more of these kinds of partnerships to make space exploration more accessible and affordable for everyone 
! A successful hotfire test-firing is a huge step forward, and it's awesome to see all seven BE-4 engines firing at full power for 38 seconds 
. I mean, can you imagine the excitement on the team's faces after that? 
It's great to hear that they're working on reusing the booster, too - space reuse is key to making space travel more sustainable and affordable 
. Can't wait to see the ESCAPADE spacecraft arrive at Mars in 2027 and start gathering those all-important data points 
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, and it's awesome to see them learning from those mistakes to come back stronger 
And hey, $20 million is still a pretty sweet price tag for a trip to Mars 
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i mean blue origin is really pushing the limits now 
and it's so cool that they're going to reuse the booster on the next launch 
so hopefully this means more people will get access to space and its secrets soon 
... like, shouldn't we be able to launch probes into space without breaking the bank?! 
and what's with the ESCAPADE mission being so secretive? shouldn't we get some actual science output before wasting $20 mil 