FAR WEST TEXAS — On a clear day last week, at a launchpad in a remote part of Culberson County near Van Horn, Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard rocket for the seventh time. The company says its repeated launches demonstrate the reusability of its rockets — an important detail to obtain “a future where millions of people are living and working in space,” as its vision statement reads. Blue Origin also hosted a webcast celebrating the event, which racked up more than 200,000 views on YouTube.
On this rocket, Blue Origin packed 12 commercial payloads, including shipments from NASA to do space experiments. The company is helping NASA “land on a lunar surface faster, safer and repeatedly,” Bob Smith, the CEO for Blue Origin, said on the webcast. There was also the “box of rocks experiment,” a project testing a device to take magnetic samples from asteroids.
Blue Origin’s webcast featured scientific discussions, an interview with a top NASA official and a virtual tour of the Blue Origin cabin. This particular trip did not have any crew or passengers, a company spokesperson told The Big Bend Sentinel.
The webcast began with a promotional video. “The human need to explore is deep within all of us,” a narrator states. “Our ancestors crossed mountain ranges [and] sailed open oceans to map new lands.”
As music plays in the background, Amazon tycoon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos is seen inspecting a previous successful lift-off. “When our descendants look to the stars, perhaps from a rocky moon or colonies floating in open space, they’ll remember this time,” the narrator continues. “When they reflect on where it started, they’ll remember this place.”
The webcast was hosted by Caitlin Dietrich and Joel Eby. Eby described himself as the “resident creative” at Blue Origin.
He outlined some of the company’s coronavirus precautions for this launch. “Everyone on the mission is following very strict guidance to mitigate any kind of COVID-related risks,” Eby explained. “Down in West Texas, we have essential-mission crew only.”
In April, Blue Origin saw criticism after it said it had received “mission essential designation” to test a rocket for “suborbital space tourism.” Three employees in Washington State tested positive for coronavirus, and the company ultimately said it had “no plans for travel to Van Horn,” where its West Texas operations are based. But as The Big Bend Sentinel explained that month, the Department of Homeland Security has classified a large swath of the workforce as essential, from groundskeeping and pool repairs to transportation and logistics work like space travel.
While most of the webcast focused on the scientific nitty-gritty behind the launch and experimental payloads, there were also some down-to-earth moments. Also on the New Shepard last week, as The Big Sentinel previously reported, were postcards drawn from children across the country, illustrating how they personally envisioned a future of space colonization.
“If you could draw on one of those postcards, what would you put?” Ariane Cornell, described as a “reporter” at Blue Origin, asked Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator. (Cornell also serves as the company’s director of astronaut and orbital sales.) “What is your vision for the future?”
“There’s no question I would draw my family,” Bridenstine said. “I would definitely put my family on a postcard and send them to space, and dream about a future when humanity is going to be living off the Earth.”
After around 30 minutes, the wait was over. A voice at the launchpad counted down — and then, against a blue sky, the New Shepard launched off with roaring flames, leaving a plume of smoke beneath it.
“New Shepard’s gaining speed,” Dietrich narrated. “That BE-3 engine is really doing its work. What a clean burn.” About 15 minutes later, the New Shepard landed. “That never gets old, to watch that rocket.”
