AP

Bezos rocket crashes after liftoff, only experiments aboard

Sep 12, 2022, 8:46 AM | Updated: 1:27 pm

This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch fa...

This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure and parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)

(Blue Origin via AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket crashed back to Earth shortly after liftoff Monday in the first launch accident for Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, but the capsule carrying experiments managed to parachute to safety.

No one was aboard the Blue Origin flight, which used the same kind of rocket as the one that sends paying customers to the edge of space. The rockets are now grounded pending the outcome of an investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The New Shepard rocket was barely a minute into its flight from West Texas when bright yellow flames shot out from around the single engine at the bottom. The capsule’s emergency launch abort system immediately kicked in, lifting the craft off the top. Several minutes later, the capsule parachuted onto the remote desert floor.

The rocket came crashing down, with no injuries or damage reported, said the FAA, which is in charge of public safety during commercial space launches and landings.

Blue Origin’s launch commentary went silent when the capsule catapulted off the rocket Monday morning, eventually announcing: “It appears we’ve experienced an anomaly with today’s flight. This wasn’t planned.”

“Booster failure on today’s uncrewed flight. Escape system performed as designed,” the Kent, Washington-based company tweeted close to an hour later.

The company later said the rocket crashed.

The mishap occurred as the rocket was traveling nearly 700 mph (1,126 kph) at an altitude of about 28,000 feet (8,500 meters). There was no video shown of the rocket — only the capsule — after the failure. It happened around the point the rocket is under the maximum amount of pressure, called max-q.

The rocket usually lands upright on the desert floor and then is recycled for future flights.

The webcast showed the capsule reaching a maximum altitude of more than 37,000 feet (11,300 meters). Thirty-six experiments were on board to be exposed to a few minutes of weightlessness. Half were sponsored by NASA, mostly from students.

It was the 23rd flight for the New Shepard program, named after the first American in space, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard. It was the ninth flight for this particular rocket-capsule pair, which was dedicated to flying experiments.

Blue Origin’s most recent flight with paying customers was just last month; the ticket price hasn’t been released. Bezos was on the first New Shepard crew last year. Altogether, Blue Origin has carried 31 people on 10-minute flights, including actor William Shatner.

The rocket should have launched nearly two weeks ago, but was grounded until Monday by bad weather.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure and parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a rocket after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a split screen of the New Shepard rocket before a launch failure on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure and parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a rocket after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure and parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a rocket after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure and parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a rocket after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure and parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a rocket after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure, parachuting onto the desert floor on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a rocket after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)
            
              This image provided by Blue Origin shows a capsule containing science experiments after a launch failure on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. Jeff Bezos' rocket company has suffered its first launch failure. No one was aboard, only science experiments. The Blue Origin rocket veered off course over West Texas about 1 1/2 minutes after liftoff Monday. (Blue Origin via AP)

AP

Ray Epps Ray Epps, an Arizona man who became the center of a conspiracy theory about Jan. 6, 2021, ...

Associated Press

Ray Epps, an Arizona man who supported Trump, pleads guilty to Capital riot charge

Ray Epps, the target of a conspiracy theory about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge.

9 hours ago

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, to ...

Associated Press

Trump refuses to say in a TV interview how he watched the Jan. 6 attack unfold at the US Capitol

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday to answer questions about whether he watched the Capitol riot.

4 days ago

This frame grab from video, provided by the Mexican government, shows Ovidio Guzman Lopez being det...

Associated Press

Mexico extradites son of ‘El Chapo,’ Ovidio Guzman Lopez to US

The son of notorious cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ovidio Guzman Lopez was extradited to the U.S. on Friday.

4 days ago

impeachments in US history...

Associated Press

A look at notable impeachments in US history, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted Saturday on during his impeachment trial. Here's a roundup of impeachments in U.S. history.

4 days ago

The sticker price is displayed in the window of an unsold 2023 Navigator sports-utility vehicle at ...

Associated Press

The auto workers strike will drive up car prices, but not right away — unless consumers panic

Car shoppers are heading for a new round of sticker shock if the strike by the United Auto Workers doesn’t end soon, officials say.

5 days ago

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announces an order restricting people from carrying guns in Bernalillo ...

Associated Press

Group sues after New Mexico governor suspends right to carry guns in Albuquerque in public

The New Mexico governor's emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public near Albuquerque drew an immediate court challenge.

11 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Importance of AC maintenance after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

An air conditioning unit in Phoenix is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat.

Sanderson Ford...

Sanderson Ford

Sanderson Ford congratulates D-backs’ on drive to great first half of 2023

The Arizona Diamondbacks just completed a red-hot first half of the major league season, and Sanderson Ford wants to send its congratulations to the ballclub.

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Here are the biggest tips to keep your AC bill low this summer

PHOENIX — In Arizona during the summer, having a working air conditioning unit is not just a pleasure, but a necessity. No one wants to walk from their sweltering car just to continue to be hot in their home. As the triple digits hit around the Valley and are here to stay, your AC bill […]

Bezos rocket crashes after liftoff, only experiments aboard