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WATCH: Blue Origin Successfully Launches New Shepard Rocket For Second Time This Year

Screenshot via Blue Origin

The space travel company Blue Origin – owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos – launched its New Shepard rocket for the second time this year at its West Texas facility Thursday morning.

Traveling at nearly three times the speed of sound, the flight lasted around 10 minutes and saw the rocket’s capsule reach a peak altitude of 346,406 feet. Blue Origin completed its first New Shepard test flight of the year in January. Thursday’s launch from Blue Origin’s Van Horn facility is the fifth flight for this particular vehicle, and 11th overall for the New Shepard booster. 

New Shepard – named after famed astronaut Alan Shepard – carried 38 “microgravity research payloads” to space.

The test launch comes as Blue Origin is set for an announcement next week, which some have speculated may be related to moon travel. The space company has previously said it plan to complete a lunar landing by 2024.

Watch a livestream of the launch below, courtesy of Blue Origin.

From Marfa Public Radio

Carlos Morales is the full time KWBU News Reporter. Originally from El Paso, Texas. Carlos moved to Austin in 2007 where he studied English at UT. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in 2011. In 2013 he received his Master’s degree in journalism also from the University of Texas at Austin. Carlos had in internship at the NPR affiliate in Austin, KUT and freelanced for several groups including the Voces Oral History Project. Carlos enjoys running, reading, listening to music and – most importantly — playing uncle to his niece and 2 nephews.
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