New York (CNN Business)Amazon and the rocket company Blue Origin's billionaire founder Jeff Bezos made a big announcement for a year Earlier, he bought a ship to capture the Blue Origin rocket that returned from space and named it after his mother. But now, the company is abolishing the plan and looking for a more "cost-effective" alternative, said Linda Mills, a spokeswoman for Blue Origin.
One alternative to large vessels is to choose an autonomous maneuvering platform or barge, such as the droneship SpaceX uses to catch rockets after flight.
Blue Origin wanted to sail Jacklin to the Atlantic Ocean and catch theNew Glenn rocket boosters. When a large 1st stage booster, which gives initial thrust during lift-off, consumes most of the fuel, it separates from the rocket's upper stage and lands on Earth with controlled pinpoints, similar to SpaceX. Designed to do. I'm already doing it with the Falcon 9 rocket.
The Blue Origin website mentions that boosters can land in turbulent waters, landing rockets on ships rather than barges. In theory, giant ships can remain stable in rough waters, and Blue Origin can perform booster recovery operations in all types of weather.
As other rocket companies have been doing for decades, landing rocket boosters instead of dumping them into the ocean is SpaceX and Blue Origin's ability to reduce launch costs and ensure profitability. It is the core of the plan.
The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will be the first of its kind to reach a trekking orbit that requires speeds in excess of 17,000 mph. SpaceX has been in orbit with rockets since 2008.
So far, Blue Origin has only flown much smaller New Shepard ballistic rockets. The rocket is a short, supersonic pleasure vehicle that reaches the edge of what is technically considered space, and has been used to carry paid customers, and Bezos himself last summer.
New Glenn is not expected to carry humans, at least initially, but instead puts satellites and other cargo into orbit.
Blue Origin is already a few years behind its original schedule, but hopes to get its first New Glenn off track by the end of 2022.