Blue Origin’s next New Shepard flight, NS-29, will simulate the Moon’s gravity and fly 30 payloads, all but one of which is focused on testing lunar-related technologies, according to Blue Origin.
The launch window opens on Tuesday, January 28, at 10:00 AM CST 1600 UTC from Launch Site One in West Texas. The webcast will begin 15 minutes before liftoff.
The payloads will experience at least two minutes of lunar gravity forces, a first for New Shepard and made possible in part through support from NASA. The flight will test six broad lunar technology areas: In-situ resource utilization, dust mitigation, advanced habitation systems, sensors and instrumentation, small spacecraft technologies, and entry descent and landing. Proving out these technologies at lower cost is another step toward Blue Origin’s mission to lower the cost of access to space for the benefit of Earth. It also enables NASA and other lunar surface technology providers to test innovations critical to achieving Artemis program goals and exploring the Moon’s surface.
The New Shepard crew capsule is using its Reaction Control System (RCS) to spin up to approximately 11 revolutions per minute. This spin rate simulates one-sixth Earth gravity at the midpoint of the crew capsule lockers. In simulated lunar gravity, customers can accelerate their learning and technology readiness for lunar payloads at much lower cost. Previously, the Moon’s gravity could only be simulated a few seconds at a time via centrifuge drop tower or for ~20 seconds aboard parabolic flights.
New Shepard’s 29th flight brings the total number of commercial payloads flown on New Shepard to more than 175. Of the mission's 30 payloads, 29 will fly inside the crew capsule and one will fly on the booster with exposure to the ambient space environment. More than half are supported by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, which is managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Four of the payloads are from Honeybee Robotics, a division within Blue Origin’s In-Space Systems business. Honeybee’s experiments will test technologies focused on penetrating, excavating, and processing lunar regolith.
This mission will fly our dedicated payloads capsule paired with our recently-debuted booster, demonstrating the compatibility between the boosters and capsules in our fleet and increasing launch availability for our customers. We now have three capsules and two boosters in service to better address sales demand for payloads and astronauts.
The mission will also carry thousands of postcards on behalf of Club for the Future, Blue Origin’s STEAM-focused nonprofit whose mission is to inspire and mobilize future generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The organization has engaged more than 44 million people globally since its founding in 2019.
