Blue Origin
Overview
Blue Origin is an American private aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company. It was founded by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, in 2000. The company is focused on building reusable launch vehicles and spacecraft to enable the future of space exploration and colonization. The company's motto, "Gradatim Ferociter," is Latin for "Step by Step, Ferociously," emphasizing their approach to achieving their long-term vision.
History
Blue Origin was established in September 2000 by Jeff Bezos, with the aim of making space travel more affordable and accessible. The company remained secretive about its plans and progress until 2006, when it purchased a large tract of land in West Texas for a launch and test facility.
In 2005, the company publicly disclosed its plans for the New Shepard, a sub-orbital space vehicle designed to take tourists to the edge of space. The New Shepard made its first test flight in 2015, reaching an altitude of 93 kilometers. In 2018, the New Shepard made its first successful test flight with a crew capsule, reaching an altitude of 107 kilometers.
In 2012, Blue Origin began development on the New Glenn, a reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle designed for orbital missions. The New Glenn is expected to make its first flight in 2022.
Technology
Blue Origin's technology is centered around the development of reusable rockets, which they believe is key to reducing the cost of space travel. The company's New Shepard vehicle is designed to autonomously fly six passengers to more than 100 kilometers above Earth, past the internationally recognized boundary of space, and then return to land vertically on Earth using its boosters.
The New Glenn, their orbital launch vehicle, is designed to carry people and payloads to orbit and beyond. It is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, and is designed to be reusable, with a first stage that can fly back to a landing site near the launch pad.
Blue Origin is also developing a lunar lander, known as the Blue Moon, which is intended to deliver payloads to the lunar surface. The company has proposed the Blue Moon for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon by 2024.
Future Plans
Blue Origin's long-term vision is to enable a future where millions of people can live and work in space. To achieve this, the company is developing infrastructure for the creation of human habitats in space, including a space station concept known as the Orbital Reef. The Orbital Reef is a proposed commercial space station to be built in low Earth orbit, in partnership with Sierra Nevada Corporation and Boeing.
The company also plans to continue its work on the Blue Moon lunar lander, with the aim of enabling a sustained human presence on the Moon. In addition, Blue Origin has expressed interest in Mars and has suggested that the New Glenn could play a role in Mars missions.