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Investing.com -- Blue Origin, the space venture owned by Jeff Bezos, announced on Monday that it is planning to launch its New Glenn rocket for the second time in the late spring. This comes as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concluded its investigation into the failed landing attempt of the rocket’s first-stage booster during its debut mission in January.
The New Glenn rocket, which is a two-stage vehicle, had its first launch in January after experiencing numerous development delays. The mission was successful in deploying a satellite into orbit. However, the reusable first-stage booster failed in its attempt to land on a vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, which prompted an FAA investigation.
In a statement released on Monday, Blue Origin explained that the landing failure was due to the rocket’s three BE-4 engines not re-igniting properly. The company didn’t provide any additional technical details. As part of its investigation into the landing failure, Blue Origin identified seven corrective actions, primarily focusing on propellant management and engine bleed control improvements. The company is already working on addressing these issues.
Blue Origin stated, "We expect to return to flight in late spring and will attempt to land the booster again." The FAA, which oversees U.S. launch safety matters, confirmed the closure of its review of Blue Origin’s technical probe. The FAA also stated that it would verify that Blue Origin implements the corrective actions before the launch of the New Glenn-2 mission.
The debut of the New Glenn rocket marked a significant milestone for Blue Origin as it was the company’s first venture into Earth’s orbit. This is a key aspect of Bezos’ space ambitions as he seeks to compete with SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, in various areas such as satellite launches, moon landings, and securing lucrative contracts from the Pentagon for secretive military space operations.
In the weeks following the first launch of the New Glenn rocket, Blue Origin’s CEO, Dave Limp, laid off 10 percent of the company’s 14,000 employees. This was part of a cost-cutting measure and a shift in the New Glenn unit’s focus towards rocket production and a faster launch cadence.
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