We have another space first to report today: Blue Origin successfully reused a rocket booster for the first time, successfully returning the “Never Tell Me The Odds” rocket to its landing pad in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the third New Glenn (NG-3) mission.
The rocket booster was first used with the NG-2 mission last November, and after recovering it that time, Blue Origin has now shown it can be deployed again. This means the company can now better compete with SpaceX when it comes to these reusable rockets.
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A major satellite expansion
As with reusable rockets, Amazon and Blue Origin compete with SpaceX and Starlink in satellite communications. SpaceX hopes to begin the process of launching thousands of its Starlink V2 satellites next year.
The idea is that our phones will be able to connect to them without any hardware or software upgrades – these satellites will be smart and powerful enough to mimic a regular cell tower, with 4G and 5G speeds, from anywhere in orbit.
It will be years before the space satellite network is ready to move beyond emergency communications — and pricing and operator partnerships will need to be worked out along the way — but BlueBird 7 is a sign of the direction we’re heading.
Reactions to the launch on social media were overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic (perhaps buoyed by the recent Artemis II mission), with live viewers describing the experience as “a wonderful sight for any rocket enthusiast” and simply “amazing”. You can learn more about the New Glenn missions on the Blue Origin website.
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