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Blue Origin Launches 17th New Shepard Spacecraft Mission

Blue Origin Launches 17th New Shepard Spacecraft Mission - top government contractors - best government contracting event

Blue Origin’s New Shepard reusable rocket launched Thursday with a set of payloads for a NASA-managed demonstration effort, marking the spacecraft’s 17th mission.

New Shepard carried technology demonstration payloads for the space agency’s Flight Opportunities program and other commercial payloads then landed back on a pad in West Texas, Blue Origin said.

The carried technologies are meant to demonstrate precision landing technologies, propellant gauging, space-based trash recycling and suborbital biological imaging.

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate provided one payload developed under the Safe and Precise Landing Integrated Capabilities Evolution or SPLICE project.

SPLICE is a navigation system designed to determine the precise landing location as a spacecraft approaches a planetary surface. The system uses multiple sensors, lasers and a high-performance computer to perform navigation.

New Shepard also demonstrated a sensor for deorbit, descent and landing during the mission, marking the technology’s second flight with the rocket. The sensor was developed under a partnership with NASA’s Tipping Point program.

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Written by Nichols Martin

a staff writer at Executive Mosaic, produces articles on the federal government's technology and business interests. The coverage of these articles include government contracting, cybersecurity, information technology, health care and national security.

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