Will Possibly Mean The End Of The Rocket Launched And Landed Four Times

Blue Origin will be testing its capsule abort system on Wednesday at its facility in west Texas after a poor weather forecast forced a one-day postponement of the test.

The company posted a message on Twitter saying the weather made the test Tuesday a "no-go". The test will be webcast live beginning at 1045 EDT Wednesday, according to the Tweet.

The abort system is different from those used throughout the U.S. space program, in that the rocket engine used for the abort is integrated in the capsule rather than on an external tower. Because of that configuration, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said in a message released to the media in September announcing the test that firing the abort system rocket will at best damage, and could destroy the New Shepard booster. "Our next flight is going to be dramatic, no matter how it ends," Bezos said.

He did say, however, that some of the company's computer models show that the booster could survive, and even be recovered following the test. If it does, Bezos said there will be a "retirement party" for New Shepard, and it will be placed in a museum.

(Image from file. H/T arstechnica.com, space.com)

FMI: www.blueorigin.com