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Blue Origin Flight Suffers Rocket Booster Failure

The mission failed, but the escape system performed 'as designed.'

 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor

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Blue Origin has suffered a rocket booster failure during its latest uncrewed flight today.

As The Verge reports, Blue Origin confirmed that the rocket on flight NS-23 suffered a failure as it reached maximum dynamic pressure (also known as max Q). However, the failure wasn't without its upside as it proved that the escape system performed exactly as designed and carried the capsule safely clear of the malfunctioning booster.

You can watch the moment the booster failed and the escape system was triggered in the tweet above. The live stream version is also available complete with commentary explaining how an anomaly was experienced mid-flight, but they don't know specifically what failed yet.

As you can see, the capsule deployed its parachutes and performed a safe landing. There were a total of 36 payloads on board NS-23 from academia, research institutions, and students. If a crew had been on board they would also have been fine, but probably quite shaken from the experience. I suspect some additional clean up would be required for those who didn't manage to keep their lunch down.

About Our Expert

Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

My Experience

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

My Areas of Expertise

  • PC components and system building
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Software development
  • Storage technology
  • Video games and gaming hardware

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