Expansion Meets Growing Demand for Commercial Space Travel

Blue Origin plans to debut its second human-rated vehicle on the upcoming NS-27 launch. This intends to expand flight capacity alongside increasing customer demand. The launch window for the NS-27 uncrewed verification flight begins on October 7 at 8:00 am CDT.

The new crew capsule, designated “RSS Kármán line,” features upgrades to the vehicle’s performance, durability, livery, and payload accommodation. It utilizes Blue Origin's new NS5 booster: a crew-rated propulsion module for the New Shepard rocket.

NS-27 will be responsible for five payloads on its booster and seven in its crew capsule, including two LIDAR sensors, ultra-wideband proximity operations sensors, and a Spacemanic commercial payload. The mission will also bring up tens of thousands of student-designed postcards from Club for the Future. This is Blue Origin’s nonprofit aiming to inspire younger generations to pursue STEAM studies.

As stated by Blue Origin, New Shepard “remains one of the most sustainable rockets ever to fly to space. Nearly 99% of New Shepard’s dry mass is reused, including the booster, capsule, engine, landing gear, and parachutes.”

The rocket honors the legacy of astronaut Alan Shepard: the first American in space. New Shepard is a reusable, suborbital rocket intended for commercial space flight. The 11-minute mission allows astronauts to launch past the Kármán line, which is the internationally recognized boundary of space.

The rocket is designed to be fully autonomous, requiring no pilots on board. It is powered by Blue Origin’s BE-3PM Engine. This propels the rocket to space at over three times the speed of sound and slows the booster to just 6 mph for a controlled landing.

Blue Origin’s latest New Shepard mission, NS-26, launched on August 29. This marked the company’s eighth human spaceflight and 26th program flight, totaling 43 passengers.

A live webcast for NS-27 will open 15 minutes before liftoff on Blue Origin’s website.

FMI: www.blueorigin.com