After a false start: Blue Origin flew into space again for the first time. These 5 graphs show how the Earth is put together and why volcanoes arise

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin has sent a rocket into space for the first time since a false start over a year ago. The company announced that the ‘New Shepard’ rocket system made a short trip to space on Tuesday from a spaceport in western Texas with scientific experiments on board. The two rocket stages separated as planned and both landed safely.

In September 2022, a launch vehicle crashed during an unmanned launch. Video footage showed the capsule detaching from the rocket shortly after launch and parachuting to the ground. It was the 23rd mission of the ‘New Shepard’ program, named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard (1923-1998). There were research equipment and scientific experiments on board. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigated the incident.

The New Shepard rocket system flies largely automatically. The capsule, which separates from the rocket during flight, reaches an altitude of about 100 kilometers above Earth, temporarily in weightlessness, before the reusable object lands again, slowed down by large parachutes. According to the plan, the rocket, which is also reusable, will land vertically back on Earth.

Blue Origin has also sent people on short trips to space several times. On the first flight in July 2021, Amazon founder Bezos himself was on board. The then 90-year-old Canadian actor William Shatner, who became world famous with his role as ‘Captain Kirk’ in ‘Star Trek’, took part in the second in October 2021. (sda/dpa)