Thursday, October 06, 2016

BLUE ORIGIN'S rocket test went better than thought possible:
Blue Origin just successfully completed its first in-flight escape test, during which the empty crew capsule was able to make an emergency separation from the booster just seconds after takeoff. It's a maneuver that could save lives if it happens on a real flight. But Blue Origin stumbled upon some extra success: It landed the booster too.
The linked video has the entire test flight. It's long - over an hour. Booster liftoff is at 51:00; escape capsule ignition at 52:00. The capsule drogue chutes deploy at 52:30 and main chute deployment occurs at 53:30. Capsule landing is at about 54:00. The launch vehicle itself continued on its planned trajectory, reaching apogee at 55:00, and made a succesful landing at 58:30.

A magnificent achievement.

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