Blue Origin Archives - The Enterprise Orbit

Agencies targeting lunar missions lean on commercial partners

NOTE: This story originally appeared in the Low Down, our free weekly ebrief. Subscribe for FREE to receive our take on the latest news, enabling tech and emerging markets in the commercial space sector each week. Government space agencies are turning to commercial partners in the new lunar space race. At the recent International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2018), held in Bremen, Germany, multiple space agencies from around the world announced

Launch politics in an increasingly competitive global market

NOTE: This story originally appeared in the Low Down, our free weekly ebrief. Subscribe for FREE to receive our take on the latest news, enabling tech and emerging markets in the commercial space sector each week. Anti-competitive politics is rearing its head as the global launch industry undergoes significant shifts in its competitive landscape and incumbent providers are struggling to keep up. Ariane Group’s CEO Alain Charmeau complained about dropping

Advances in suborbital flight will open up new global markets

Experts are predicting a new age of space research as US-based space companies inch closer to offering frequent suborbital flights for commercial, research and academic uses. Amidst a brewing battle between private space firms in the US, Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin and Richard Branson-backed Virgin Galactic are both making strides in their respective -- and yet unrealized -- suborbital vehicle launch businesses. Last year, Blue Origin concluded a successful suborbital

Blue Origin’s BE-4 could propel the next stage of space exploration

After five years of development, Jeff Bezos announced in Twitter this week Blue Origin has successfully completed a hot fire test of its fully reusable BE-4 engine. The hot fire test marks an important milestone for both Blue Origin and the next step in human exploration of space. https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/921114359119560704 Blue Origin's orbital rocket, the New Glenn, will use seven BE-4 engines in its first stage, and a single BE-4 in

Mu Space startup signs on as 3rd customer for Blue Origin’s New Glenn

Blue Origin has acquired its third customer for its reusable New Glenn orbital rocket. Mu Space Corp, a satellite communications provider based in Bangkok, Thailand, announced this week it has entered into an agreement with Blue Origin to use its New Glenn orbital rocket to launch a geostationary satellite. Under the agreement, the launch will take place in 2021. Start-up Mu Space announced plans to offer telecommunication services in Thailand

Can space tourism break out of decades of delay?

Today, there are a handful of private companies that are hoping to make a business out of flying tourists to space. And at least three of these companies say they’ll be able to do so in 2018. But as history demonstrates, there’s no guarantee that any of these companies will keep their timelines. Space tourism has been considered on the brink of feasibility for years, and start-ups have made similar