We have another space first to report today: Blue Origin has successfully repurposed a rocket booster for the first time, getting the ‘Never Tell Me The Odds’ rocket back to its landing pad in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the third New Glenn (NG-3) mission.
The booster rocket was first used with the NG-2 mission last November and, once recovered, Blue Origin has demonstrated that it can be deployed again. It means the company can now better compete with SpaceX when it comes to these reusable rockets.
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A major satellite expansion
As with reusable rockets, Amazon and Blue Origin compete with SpaceX and Starlink when it comes to satellite communications. SpaceX hopes to begin the process of launching thousands of its Starlink V2 satellites next year.
The idea is that our phones can connect to them without the need for hardware or software updates: these satellites will be smart and powerful enough to imitate a normal cell tower, with 4G and 5G speeds, from their entire orbit.
It will be years before the space satellite network is ready to move beyond emergency communications (and pricing and partnerships with operators will need to be determined along the way), but BlueBird 7 is a sign of the direction we’re headed.
Reaction to the launch on social media has been overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic (perhaps fueled by the recent Artemis II mission), with viewers of the livestream describing the experience as “a wonderful sight for any rocket enthusiast” and simply “amazing.” You can read more about New Glenn’s missions on the Blue Origin website.
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