NS-24

Welcome everyone! This mission marks New Shepard’s return to flight after the failure of NS-23 in September 2022.

Scheduled for UTC 2023-12-19 16:37
Scheduled for (local) 2023-12-19 10:37 (CST)
Launch site Launch Site One, West Texas, Texas, USA
Launch provider Blue Origin
Launch vehicle New Shepard 4-9
Customer Multiple
Payload Multiple
Mission success criteria Successful launch and safe landing of booster and capsule

Livestreams

Stream Link
Blue Origin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSzi1lHaqlQ
The Launch Pad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tztI3uMuE8I
Space Affairs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42aBDqeGO6A

Highlights from Blue Origin’s Mishap Investigation Team report on NS-23:

the MIT determined the direct cause of the mishap to be a structural fatigue failure of the BE-3PM engine nozzle during powered flight. The structural fatigue was caused by operational temperatures that exceeded the expected and analyzed values of the nozzle material. Testing of the BE-3PM engine began immediately following the mishap and established that the flight configuration of the nozzle operated at hotter temperatures than previous design configurations. Forensic evaluation of the recovered nozzle fragments also showed clear evidence of thermal damage and hot streaks resulting from increased operating temperatures. The fatigue location on the flight nozzle is aligned with a persistent hot streak identified during the investigation.

The MIT determined that design changes made to the engine’s boundary layer cooling system accounted for an increase in nozzle heating and explained the hot streaks present. Blue Origin is implementing corrective actions, including design changes to the combustion chamber and operating parameters, which have reduced engine nozzle bulk and hot-streak temperatures. Additional design changes to the nozzle have improved structural performance under thermal and dynamic loads.

Stats

  • This will be the 1st launch for Blue Origin this year.
  • This will be the 24th launch for Blue Origin.

Payload info:

NS-24 will be a reflight of the NS-23 payloads.

Target orbit: N/A

Next mission (NS-25)

Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here! Also feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for the mod team. We’re still a relatively small sub, so feedback from the community is very valuable!