Blue+Origin

=**__Blue origin__**=


 * //Project Type// || **Spaceshuttle replacement** ||
 * //Operating Company// ||  ||
 * //Host Nation// || **USA** ||
 * //Program cost// ||  ||
 * //Cost per vehicle// ||  ||
 * //Life support// || **Yes** ||
 * //Status// || **Research and development** ||

Set up by amazons founder Jeff Bezos

awarded 22 million by NASA (20/04/2011)



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**Useful Links**

 * Main company page - "www.**blueorigin**.com"
 * Wikipedia article - "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/**Blue**_**Origin**"

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (07/2011) Jump to: [|navigation], [|search] Blue Origin||||= Initially focused on [|sub-orbital spaceflight], the company has built and flown a testbed of its //[|New Shepard]// spacecraft design at their [|Culberson County, Texas] facility. According to company statements, it initially planned on placing the //New Shepard// in commercial suborbital tourist service in 2010 with flights about once a week.[|[][|5][|]] However, the most recently publicized timetable states that Blue Origin will fly unmanned in 2011, and manned in 2012.[|[][|6][|]] [[|hide]]
 * ~ [|Type] || [|Private] ||
 * ~ Industry || [|Aerospace] and [|space tourism] ||
 * ~ Founded || September 2000 ||
 * ~ Headquarters || [|Kent, Washington] ||
 * ~ Key people || [|Jeff Bezos] ||
 * ~ Products || [|suborbital spaceflight] ||
 * ~ Revenue || n/a ||
 * ~ Website || [|www.blueorigin.com] ||
 * Blue Origin** is a privately funded [|aerospace] company set up by [|Amazon.com] founder [|Jeff Bezos]. The company was awarded $3.7 million in funding in 2009 by NASA via a [|Space Act Agreement][|[][|1][|]][|[][|2][|]] under the [|Commercial Crew Development] (CCDev) program for development of concepts and technologies to support future human spaceflight operations.[|[][|3][|]][|[][|4][|]] The company's innovative 'pusher' [|Launch Abort System] (LAS) was one of the technologies that was of particular interest to NASA. To date abort systems have been of the //tractor// variety, which pulls a crew vehicle to safety in case of an emergency.
 * Blue Origin** is a privately funded [|aerospace] company set up by [|Amazon.com] founder [|Jeff Bezos]. The company was awarded $3.7 million in funding in 2009 by NASA via a [|Space Act Agreement][|[][|1][|]][|[][|2][|]] under the [|Commercial Crew Development] (CCDev) program for development of concepts and technologies to support future human spaceflight operations.[|[][|3][|]][|[][|4][|]] The company's innovative 'pusher' [|Launch Abort System] (LAS) was one of the technologies that was of particular interest to NASA. To date abort systems have been of the //tractor// variety, which pulls a crew vehicle to safety in case of an emergency.
 * ==Contents==
 * [|1] [|History]
 * [|2] [|Headquarters]
 * [|3] [|New Shepard]
 * [|4] [|Orbital Spacecraft]
 * [|5] [|Test flights]
 * [|6] [|See also]
 * [|7] [|References]
 * [|8] [|External links] ||

[[|edit]] History
Since its founding, the company - the motto of which is Latin for //"Step-by-Step, Ferociously"// - has been notoriously tight-lipped about its plans.[|[][|5][|]] Although the company was formally incorporated in 2000, its existence only became public in 2003, when Bezos started buying land in Texas and interested parties followed up on the purchases. This was a topic of some interest in local politics,[|[][|7][|]] and his rapid aggregation of the lots under a variety of whimsically named shell companies was referred to as a "land grab".[|[][|8][|]] In January 2005, Bezos told the editor of the //Van Horn Advocate// that Blue Origin is developing a sub-orbital space vehicle that will [|take off and land vertically] and carry three or more astronauts to the [|edge of space].[|[][|9][|]] The spacecraft is based on technology like that used for the [|McDonnell Douglas DC-X] and derivative DC-XA. Bezos told [|Reuters] in November 2004 that his company hopes to progress to [|orbital spaceflight]. As of January 2005[|[update]], the company's website announced that it hopes to establish an "[|enduring human presence in space]", but the 2007 version talks instead of aiming to "patiently and step-by-step, to lower the cost of spaceflight so that many people can afford to go and so that we humans can better continue exploring the solar system". Science fiction author [|Neal Stephenson] worked part-time at Blue Origin until November 15, 2006[|[][|10][|]].

[[|edit]] Headquarters
The company is headquartered in a warehouse situated on 25 acres (100,000 m2) of industrial land in the [|Seattle], [|Washington] suburb of [|Kent], where its research and development is located.

[[|edit]] //New Shepard//
The company plans to build a suborbital vehicle called //[|New Shepard]//. The //New Shepard// will be controlled entirely by on-board computers, without [|ground control]. It will be powered by [|high test peroxide] (HTP) and [|RP-1] kerosene. [|[][|11][|]] A number of test vehicles will also be built. The first example, christened the //[|Goddard]// (also known as PM1), first flew on November 13, 2006. The flight was a complete success, and pictures and movies from the launch form a major part of the company's spartan Web site. However, a second test flight filed for December 2 never launched.[|[][|12][|]][|[][|13][|]] According to FAA records two further flight were performed by Goddard. In an interview with [|Charlie Rose] on November 19, 2007, Bezos reported that the construction of a second test vehicle was in progress and that a third development vehicle would be built after that before any commercial flights would begin.[|[][|14][|]]

[[|edit]] Orbital Spacecraft
Blue Origin has also started work on developing systems for an Orbital Spacecraft. In 2010, under the [|Commercial Crew Development] Program, NASA awarded money to Blue Origin, to develop a pusher abort escape system, as well as a composite pressure vessel. This was later revealed to be a part of a larger system, designed for a biconic capsule, that would be launched atop an Atlas V 402.[|[][|15][|]] On November 8, 2010, it was announced that Blue Origin had completed all milestones under its CCDev Space Act Agreement.[|[][|16][|]] In April 2011, Blue Origin received a commitment from NASA for [|US$]22,000,000 of funding under the [|Commercial Crew Development] (CCDev) phase 2 program. The NASA funds are intended to accelerate development of a manned orbital spacecraft (Space Vehicle) and [|launch escape technology] which can be used for New Shepard and the Space Vehicle, with substantial additional development funding expected to be provided by Blue Origin founder [|Jeff Bezos].The funds will also be used to accelerate the development and testing of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen engine for the Reusable Booster System which will be used in a later phase to launch the Space Vehicle to orbit (the first flights of the Space Vehicle will use the [|Atlas V] rocket).[|[][|17][|]]

[[|edit]] Test flights

 * First test flight: 13 November 2006, 06:30 ([|Goddard])[|[][|18][|]]
 * Second test flight: 22 March 2007 (Goddard)[|[][|19][|]]
 * Third test flight: 19 April 2007 (Goddard)[|[][|20][|]]
 * Fourth test flight: 06 May 2011 ([|New Shepard] propulsion module (PM2))[|[][|21][|]]

[[|edit]] See also

 * [|Bigelow Aerospace]
 * [|List of private spaceflight companies]
 * [|Space Adventures]
 * [|Space tourism]
 * [|Virgin Galactic]
 * [|Reusable Vehicle Testing]

[[|edit]] References

 * 1) **[|^]** [|"Blue Origin Space Act Agreement"] . [].
 * 2) **[|^]** [|"Space Act Agreement Amendment One"] . [].
 * 3) **[|^]** [|"NASA Selects Commercial Firms to Begin Development of Crew Transportation Concepts and Technology Demonstrations for Human Spaceflight Using Recovery Act Funds"]. //press release// (NASA). February 1, 2010 . [] . Retrieved 2 February 2010.
 * 4) **[|^]** Jeff Foust. [|"Blue Origin proposes orbital vehicle"] . [].
 * 5) ^ [|//**a**//] [|//**b**//] [|"BLUE'S ROCKET CLUES"]. cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com. 2006-06-24 . [] . Retrieved 2008-05-28.
 * 6) **[|^]** []
 * 7) **[|^]** [|"BLUE ORIGIN REVEALED"]. cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com. 2006-11-11 . [] . Retrieved 2008-05-28.
 * 8) **[|^]** [|"Buzz in West Texas is about Jeff Bezos space craft launch site"]. The Wall Street Journal. 2006-11-10 . [] . Retrieved 2008-05-28.
 * 9) **[|^]** [|"Blue Origin Spaceport Plans are Talk of Texas Town"]. space.com. 2005-03-15 . [] . Retrieved 2008-05-28.
 * 10) **[|^]** . [] . Retrieved 2009-08-23.
 * 11) **[|^]** []
 * 12) **[|^]** [|"BLUE ORIGIN ROCKET REPORT"]. cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com. 2006-11-28 . [] . Retrieved 2008-05-28.
 * 13) **[|^]** [|"BLUE ALERT FOR BLASTOFF"]. cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com. 2006-12-02 . [] . Retrieved 2008-05-28.
 * 14) **[|^]** Bezos, Jeff; Rose, Charlie (2007-11-19). [|"A conversation with Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos"]. charlierose.com . [] . Retrieved 2008-06-10.
 * 15) **[|^]** []
 * 16) **[|^]** [|"Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Round One Companies Have Reached Substantial Hardware Milestones In Only 9 Months, New Images and Data Show"] . [].
 * 17) **[|^]** Morring, Frank, Jr. (2011-04-22). [|"Five Vehicles Vie To Succeed Space Shuttle"]. //Aviation Week// . [] . Retrieved 2011-02-23 . "//the CCDev-2 awards, ... went to Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corp. and Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX).//"
 * 18) **[|^]** Graczyk, Michael (2006-11-14). [|"Private space firm launches 1st test rocket"]. Associated Press. Archived from [|the original] on 2007-01-07 . [] . Retrieved 2007-01-09.
 * 19) **[|^]** Boyle, Alan (2007-03-23). [|"Rocket Revelations"]. MSNBC . [] . Retrieved 2008-01-29.
 * 20) **[|^]** [|"Recently Completed/Historical Launch Data"]. FAA AST . [] . Retrieved 2008-02-03.
 * 21) **[|^]** [|"Recently Completed/Historical Launch Data"]. FAA AST . [] . Retrieved 2011-05-30.

[[|edit]] External links

 * [|Official site]
 * [|Amazon Enters the Space Race] //[|Wired Magazine]// (July 2003)
 * [|Amazon CEO gives us peek into space plans], a January 2005 article from //[|The Seattle Times]//
 * [|Amazon.com founder's space venture has West Texas county abuzz] (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 12, 2005)
 * [|Blue Origin West Texas Commercial Launch Site Environmental Assessment]
 * [|Latest Blue Origin News on the Space Fellowship]