Blue Origin: what is it and how is it different to SpaceX?

Jeff Bezos’s start-up may one day transport
a small group of passengers to sub-orbit

In Depth

The frequency of the company’s missions, often in partnership
with Nasa, suggest it’s the only firm truly invested in advancing
space travel, but the launch of Blue Origin’s New Shepard craft on
Sunday shows that SpaceX doesn’t have the industry to itself.

Sunday’s launch of the spacecraft is the eighth successful
mission carried out by the US-based aerospace start-up which is
hoping to one day transport a small group of passengers to the
fringe of space.

Here’s everything you need to know about Blue Origin and what
sets it apart from SpaceX:

What is it?

Blue Origin is an aerospace start-up firm established by
Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and tech
entrepreneur. 

The company was founded in 2000 as a a “pet project” for the
billionaire, who was keen on the idea of “developing economies” in
space, says Teslarati. 

After spending over a decade in development, Blue Origin’s small
New Shepard craft made its debut in 2015, according to the website.
The start-up also launched a “multi-year program” to trial the
space ship.

New Shepard is primarily designed to carry a small group of
passengers into sub-orbit for about four minutes, according to
The Verge. 

Now that the company has carried out eight successful launches,
Space.com says New Shepard is expected to
undergo more test flights over the coming months. The vessel is
expected to make its first maiden voyage with passengers this
year.

What makes Blue Origin different to SpaceX?

Given that both Blue Origin and SpaceX are private aerospace
firms founded by tech billionaires, comparisons are being drawn
between the two firms.

But Engadget says that while the companies appear
to be similar at first glance, they both have different
goals. 

Blue Origin, for example, is focusing on sub-orbital space
flight that allows passengers to experience the sensations of space
without leaving Earth’s atmosphere, The Verge says. New Shepard
doesn’t have the power to leave the Earth’s atmosphere and enter
orbit, so the vessel returns to the planet’s surface a few minutes
after entering sub-orbit. 

Meanwhile, SpaceX’s goals centre around lowering the cost of
space flight, the website says, with the hope of one day launching
a manned mission to Mars. The company’s rockets also carry “payloads”, including
satellites and cargo. 

There are, however, some similarities between the
two.

CNet says Blue Origin’s most recent launch
featured a rocket that had been sent into orbit on a previous
mission. 

This reuse of old rockets also happens at SpaceX. An
older version of its Falcon 9
vessel launched in March 2017. In fact, SpaceX was
the first aerospace firm to deploy reusable rockets. 

What rockets does Blue Origin use?

Blue Origin currently has just one rocket in its line-up – the
compact New Shepard. 

The rocket is capable of reaching an altitude of around 62 miles
above the Earth’s surface, says CBS News. 

A rocket booster is used to propel New Shepard to an altitude of
42 miles, the news site says, before it’s jettisoned into
space. The craft then climbs a further 20 miles using smaller
onboard boosters. 

Blue Origin plans to add another rocket to
its line-up that will allow the aerospace firm to launch payloads
into orbit, says CNBC.

The new rocket, which is called New Glenn, will be significantly
larger than New Shepard, the news site says, opening the service up
to customers in the “civil, commercial or military”
industries. 

New Glenn is expected to make its debut launch in
2020.