Blue Origin is gearing up for its 35th New Shepard mission on Saturday, August 23. This marks a significant milestone as the company prepares to launch its 200th payload beyond the Kármán line. Founded by Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin focuses on commercial spaceflight. The NS-35 mission will take off from their Launch Site One in West Texas at 8:30 a.m. EDT.
You can catch the action live starting 15 minutes before liftoff. The stream will be available on BlueOrigin.com and possibly on Space.com as well.
The NS-35 mission will utilize the “RSS H.G. Wells,” a capsule designed specifically for carrying payloads rather than crew. Both the capsule and its booster are set to be recovered after flight. The booster will perform a controlled landing, while the capsule will descend with parachutes.
Among the payloads on this journey are 24 experiments chosen from NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge. These studies range from growing plants in microgravity to investigating the physics of liquids and conducting medical research.
Additionally, educators involved in the Teachers in Space program have designed experiments that will measure sound and radiation levels during the flight.
Institutions like Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Florida are also contributing research to this mission. For instance, Carthage College will explore new ways to measure propellant levels in space, while a NASA-developed Teledyne payload will test fuel cell systems intended for future Moon and Mars missions.
Interestingly, 432 sensors will assess how a new chemical coating performs in space. Plus, a FLEX imaging system, previously used on the International Space Station, will join this suborbital journey.
As a fun touch, Blue Origin is also sending postcards on behalf of its nonprofit, “Club For the Future.” These cards will be stamped as having reached space and returned to the students who designed them.
In recent years, the interest in commercial space endeavors has soared. According to a 2023 survey, nearly 70% of Americans believe space exploration is crucial for humanity’s future. This sentiment highlights the growing enthusiasm for missions like NS-35, where education and innovation converge in the quest for knowledge beyond our planet.
This mission represents Blue Origin’s fifth flight with the H.G. Wells capsule and its 21st cargo mission overall. With each launch, we’re one step closer to unlocking the mysteries of space.
