Blue Origin is preparing to launch the NS-27 mission using its new crew capsule, the RSS Kármán Line, at 9 a.m. ET on Monday. It will be the first launch of the capsule, which will feature improved performance and reusability, as well as “updated uniforms and payload accommodation on the booster,” the company said in a statement.
The flight will carry two lidar sensors into space that will be used in Blue Origin’s Lunar Permanence program to develop lunar landers. These are among 12 payloads, which also include the Ultra-Wideband Proximity Operation Sensor, a replica of the Black Monolith 2001: A Space Odysseyand student postcards submitted to the nonprofit Futures Club. Blue Origin will livestream the launch on its website 15 minutes before launch.
The NS-27’s next flight comes as Blue Origin works toward its goal of becoming a true competitor to SpaceX. Dave Limp, the former Amazon hardware boss who took over as CEO late last year, said in an interview that the company needs to be “able to make a lot of products” to become a “world-class manufacturer.” CNBC.
“we would like [be delivering] By the end of the year approximately one engine per week was being produced. I’m not sure we’ll be precise to a week, but no more than 10 days… [and] By the end of 2025, we must be faster.
Blue Origin plans to launch New Glenn, its large reusable booster, for the first time in November and recently completed its first second-stage hot test. Blue Origin says the rocket can carry 45,000 kilograms (more than 99,000 pounds) into low-Earth orbit. CNBC Note is approximately twice the capacity of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The company also hopes to land the booster on its first flight.
