Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin will begin spaceflight “soon” after the 2022 crash

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin said on Friday it hopes to resume rocket flights “soon” after an investigation into last year’s crash is completed – but it must wait for US regulators to accept the findings.

The company’s New Shepard suborbital rockets intended for space travel, among others, have been grounded after the September 2022 accident, which occurred shortly after liftoff from Texas.

The incident marked a setback for the Amazon founder’s company, although observers were encouraged by the fact that if people had been on board, they likely would have survived.

The flight’s rocket consisted of a single booster topped by Blue Origin’s NS-23 capsule, which carried a scientific payload.

During the mission, there was an anomaly as the rocket took off and it appeared to stall as it developed a technical problem.

The capsule then began its escape sequence and bypassed the booster, falling back to earth slowed by parachutes.

Blue Origin stated at the time that the booster “hit the ground” instead of landing vertically as it normally does.

Subsequently, the investigation is conducted under the supervision of the regulatory Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA said Friday that its investigation remains open and that it is “currently reviewing the damage report provided by the company.”

“FAA approval is required to conclude the investigation and return the New Shepard System to flight,” it said in a statement.

“Thrust Orientation Error”

Blue Origin says the anomaly is due to a “thermal structural failure of the engine nozzle,” referring to the channel through which burning gases are ejected.

This in turn led to a “thrust misalignment” that triggered the capsule’s exhaust system.

The nozzle failure was caused by higher-than-expected temperatures, the report said, adding that “design changes” should prevent the problem in the future.

It also reiterated that the capsule and its payload “landed safely” thanks to the exhaust system “functioning as designed.”

Blue Origin said it “expects to return to flight shortly” flying the same NS-23 payloads.

In all, Blue Origin has flown 32 people — some as paying customers and others as guests — since July 2021, when Bezos himself took part in the first flight.

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