BLUE Origin’s latest launch finally occurred this morning after several delays after it was also forced to push back the mission earlier this week.
The US company, which is the brainchild of billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, delayed the fourth crewed flight of its New Shepard vehicle to Thursday, March 31.
And on Thursday morning, the launch process experienced three different holds, with one being particularly delayed.
Blue Origin’s launch was scheduled to take place today at 9.30am ET (14.30 BST; 8.30am local time in Texas). Ultimately, the New Shepard launched just before 9am local time.
The mission was initially set for March 23 with a crew of six including comedian Pete Davidson. Davidson, who is currently dating Kim Kardashian, had to pull out of the flight after the date was pushed back.
The space squad on board is now made up of Party America CEO Marty Allen, husband and wife Sharon and Marc Hagle, entrepreneur Jim Kitchen, Blue Origin’s Gary Lai, and Dr George Nield, who is president of Commercial Space Technologies.
Read our Blue Origin launch live blog for the latest news and updates…
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Welcome back
The New Shepard’s fourth crewed flight was successful and the six passengers on board are back on Earth.
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Astronauts return
The capsule has returned to Earth with the astronauts on board.
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Crew capsule descending
“There go the mains! The crew capsule is now descending back to the West Texas desert. As part of the capsule’s redundant safety systems, a retro-thrust system expels a puff of air to further soften landing,” Blue Origin shared on Twitter.
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New Shepard booster returns
The New Shepard booster has safely returned to Earth after a very brief period in the skies.
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Crew having a blast
“Capsule separation confirmed by mission control. The crew of #NS20 are now getting out of their seats to experience weightlessness,” Blue Origin shared just after 9am local time after the launch.
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Successful launch
The New Shepard successfully launched just before 9am local time on Thursday.
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Liftoff!
At last, the New Shepard Blue Origin rocket launched at 8.59am local time.
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Third hold
The New Shepard launch went into a third hold with just over a minute left before launch.
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Less than two minutes
The New Shepard is scheduled for launch in less than two minutes.
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Second hold released
The New Shepard launch went into another hold just minutes before a delayed launch.
However, that hold was very brief.
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New Shepard launches soon
The New Shepard is scheduled to launch soon after a long hold delay.
The process has gone into another hold, which commentators on the Blue Origin website reassured viewers will be very brief.
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Ready for launch
The New Shepard is now “go” for launch after an extended hold.
“The ‘Go’ poll is complete and #NS20 is go for launch. Watch the launch live on http://BlueOrigin.com,” Blue Origin’s Twitter shared.
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Hold released
According to commentators on the official Blue Origin live stream, the hold has been released.
The launch is now scheduled in about eight minutes.
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Why is the launch delayed?
The reason for the delay has not been specified.
But it’s not uncommon for flight controllers to check the rocket’s systems and to look at weather conditions to make sure the launch will be safe.
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Astronauts wait
The astronauts on the New Shepard remain strapped into their seats in the capsule as they await the launch.
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Long delay
The launch has been delayed for quite some time.
The official Blue Origin live stream shows a hold of almost 40 minutes and counting.
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No explanation
“Blue Origin is in the midst of a now 33 minute, and counting, hold for its New Shepard NS-20 mission,” Eric Berger, a Senior Space Editor at Ars Technica, shared on Twitter.
“They’ve re-extended the crew access arm. No explanation from the webcast, though. Filling time by talking about Orbital Reef.”
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No updates
The Blue Origin Twitter account hasn’t offered an update on the launch for more than half an hour.
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New Shepard remains in hold
The launch is delayed as the process is still on hold.
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Gary Lai’s chance
“On March 29, #NewShepard Chief Architect Gary Lai will fly on the vehicle he’s spent 18 years designing, developing, testing, and flying,” Blue Origin shared on Twitter on March 21.
“We can’t wait for Gary—a friend, mentor, and hero to all of us—to become Astronaut Gary Lai.”
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Who replaced Pete Davidson?
Pete Davidson was supposed to be on today’s Blue Origin flight, but pulled out.
Gary Lai, who has been with Blue Origin for 18 years and has a number of patents related to the New Shepard rocket’s design, according to CNN, will fly in Davidson’s place and is the only non-paying customer on the flight.
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See the crew
Blue Origin shared a photo of the passengers on today’s flight early this morning.
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Countdown is on
The New Shepard launch countdown is on, with the launch scheduled in just a few minutes.
The process is currently in a brief hold.
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Speed of sound
The passengers on the New Shepard will “soar to more than three times the speed of sound, or more than 2,000 miles per hour,” according to CNN.
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Hatch closed
The hatch has closed, and the launch of the New Shepard is imminent.
This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
