Test Vehicle Went Out Of Control, Was Destroyed

The recent test of an unmanned spacecraft funded by Internet billionaire Jeff Bezos ended with the the vehicle being destroyed shortly after launch.

New Shepard File Image

U.S. Government and industry officials said the sub-orbital vertical launch vehicle being tested by Blue Origin LLC went out of control at about 45,000 feet and was destroyed as a precaution. The remains of the spacecraft are being examined to try to determine why the test launch failed.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the launch failure could not only be a problem for Bezos, who made his fortune as the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, but also for the Obama Administration, which is counting on commercial companies to develop spacecraft that will eventually carry cargo and crews to the ISS.

An FAA spokesman said the launch was "conducted under an experimental permit." Bezos has been fairly secretive about Blue Origin, which is headquartered in Kent, WA, and operates from an isolated "spaceport" near the small Texas town of Van Horn.

Blue Origin has received more than $25 million in grants from NASA as part of the Commercial Crew Development program. The company's website describes the "New Shepard" vehicle as "rocket-propelled vehicle designed to routinely fly multiple astronauts" at "competitive prices." The New Shepard vehicle is designed to be a multiple use spacecraft which will return vertically to earth. Blue Origin says on its webstie that manned flights could begin as early as next year. NASA's most recent grant to the company describes a spacecraft which could carry as many as seven astronauts to the station. It was targeted for development of an engine, heat shield, and crew-escape system. Government officials said federal dollars were not used on the test spacecraft which failed last week.

FMI: www.nasa.gov