Simulates Lunar Gravity

Blue Origin successfully executed New Shepard’s Flight 29, or NS-29, its 14th payload mission from Launch Site One in West Texas. The capsule used its reaction control system to spin up to about 11 revolutions per minute to simulate lunar gravity to carry out payload communication testing inside the cockpit.

The flight carried 30 payloads from NASA, research institutes, and commercial companies to bring the number of payloads flown on New Shepard to over 175.

The mission also brought along thousands of postcards stamped “Flown to Space” for Blue Origin’s Club for the Future nonprofit. Each of the postcards will be returned to the young person who created it to spark interest in space exploration and inspire the pursuit of STEAM careers.

Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President of New Shepard said, “New Shepard’s ability to provide a lunar gravity environment is an extremely unique and valuable capability as researchers set their sights on a return to the Moon.

“This enables researchers to test lunar technologies at a fraction of the cost, rapidly iterate, and test again in a significantly compressed timeframe.”

Payloads aboard NS-29 included more than half for NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program and four of the payloads are for Honeybee Robotics, a division within Blue Origin’s In-Space Systems business unit to test technologies for penetrating, excavating, and processing lunar regolith.

FMI:  www.blueorigin.com/