A Blue Origin rocket crashed shortly after liftoff on Monday, marking the first launch accident for Jeff Bezos’s space travel company.
No astronauts were aboard the rocket when it crashed, and the capsule, which was carrying experiments, was able to parachute to safety, representatives for Blue Origin confirmed. The rocket crashed after experiencing a “booster failure,” the company added.
Booster failure on today’s uncrewed flight. Escape system performed as designed. pic.twitter.com/xFDsUMONTh
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) September 12, 2022
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The Federal Aviation Administration will open an investigation into the “mishap” before the rocket will be approved to return to flight, the agency told CNN.
“The anomaly that occurred triggered the capsule escape system,” the FAA said in a statement. “The capsule landed safely and the booster impacted within the designated hazard area.”
The New Shepard rocket was only airborne for a minute when bright flames were seen coming out of its single engine. Livestream footage of the launch shows the unmanned rocket ejecting the crew capsule once the vehicle reaches Max Q, meaning the point in the trip when the rocket felt the most impact from the surrounding atmosphere.
The capsule then parachuted back to Earth, while the rest of the rocket came crashing down. No injuries or damage were reported.
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“It appears we’ve experienced an anomaly with today’s flight. This was unplanned, and we do not have any details yet, but our crew capsule was able to escape successfully,” Erika Wagner, a Blue Origin employee, said during the livestream.
The launch on Monday was the first payload flight for the New Shepard since August 2021. The rocket was initially planned to be launched two weeks ago but was grounded because of bad weather.
