We have another space first to report today: Blue Origin has successfully reused a rocket booster for the first time, successfully returning the ‘Never Tell Me The Odds’ rocket to its landing pad in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the third New Glenn (NG-3) mission.
The rocket booster was first used with the NG-2 mission last November, and after recovering it then, Blue Origin has now shown that it can be deployed again. This means that the company can now better compete with SpaceX when it comes to these reusable rockets.
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A large 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 sometime next year.
The idea is that our phones will be able to connect to them without any hardware or software upgrades — these satellites will be smart enough and powerful enough to mimic a regular cell tower with 4G and 5G speeds from all the way up in orbit.
It will take years before the space satellite network is ready to go beyond emergency communications — and pricing and aviation partnerships need to be worked out 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 buoyed by the recent Artemis II mission), with live stream viewers describing the experience as “a wonderful show for any rocket enthusiast” and simply “amazing”. You can read more about the New Glenn missions on Blue Origin’s website.
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