Photo: Blue Origin
It was two years ago when Blue Origin held the headlines. Back in 2021, the business spawned from Jeff Bezos' mind was conducting its first-ever crewed flights to the edge of space.
The company's spaceships took up there Bezos himself, the oldest person to ever fly to space (Wally Funk, 82), and then another oldest person to ever fly to space, and also a Starship captain, William Shatner (90 years old). Among others, that is, as no less than 31 people flew the New Shepard rocket until August 2022. And then, nothing.
Blue Origin suspended its New Shepard rocket flights in September last year, after a cargo mission failed mid-flight. The investigation that followed at the hands of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found there are no less than 21 corrective actions the company needs to adopt before being cleared for flight again, and so far Blue Origin does not seem to be in a hurry.
So, instead of joining Virgin Galactic in being a solid choice for regular trips to outer space, the company has been in the news recently for the more audacious, yet far from being complete, projects.
It unveiled, without giving too many details, a way of turning moondust into solar cells, it showed together with Sierra Space plans for what looks to be a luxurious space station called Orbital Reef, and was accepted as the supplier of the Moon lander for the crewed Artemis V mission to the Moon.
And now, it comes forth with yet another audacious project, it too insufficiently detailed and at first glance so radical it looks decades away from being realized.
The idea is called Blue Ring, and it's more or less a spacecraft. It's not meant to carry humans, at least not in the form presented this week, but one “focused on providing in-space logistics and delivery.” In a nutshell, the hardware has been envisioned as a tool to help with the nightmare logistics that will be the upcoming colonization of the near orbit and the Moon (possibly even further, Blue Origin hints).
More than just a delivery truck, Blue Ring will float in space and be gifted with capabilities that will allow it to refuel other spacecraft, or even act as a spaceborne datacenter for the needs of humanity's space colonies.
Just one significant detail about the spaceship was made public, and that's its ability to host up to 3,000 kg (6,600 pounds) of cargo at a time. A hint at the ship's unprecedented delta-V capabilities is also included in the announcement, but we’ve got nothing specific there.
Blue Ring, on which a separate Blue Origin division called In-Space Systems is working, is meant to serve the needs of both commercial and government partners, but we get no details on when it will be ready for deployment.
Blue Origin suspended its New Shepard rocket flights in September last year, after a cargo mission failed mid-flight. The investigation that followed at the hands of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found there are no less than 21 corrective actions the company needs to adopt before being cleared for flight again, and so far Blue Origin does not seem to be in a hurry.
So, instead of joining Virgin Galactic in being a solid choice for regular trips to outer space, the company has been in the news recently for the more audacious, yet far from being complete, projects.
It unveiled, without giving too many details, a way of turning moondust into solar cells, it showed together with Sierra Space plans for what looks to be a luxurious space station called Orbital Reef, and was accepted as the supplier of the Moon lander for the crewed Artemis V mission to the Moon.
And now, it comes forth with yet another audacious project, it too insufficiently detailed and at first glance so radical it looks decades away from being realized.
The idea is called Blue Ring, and it's more or less a spacecraft. It's not meant to carry humans, at least not in the form presented this week, but one “focused on providing in-space logistics and delivery.” In a nutshell, the hardware has been envisioned as a tool to help with the nightmare logistics that will be the upcoming colonization of the near orbit and the Moon (possibly even further, Blue Origin hints).
More than just a delivery truck, Blue Ring will float in space and be gifted with capabilities that will allow it to refuel other spacecraft, or even act as a spaceborne datacenter for the needs of humanity's space colonies.
Just one significant detail about the spaceship was made public, and that's its ability to host up to 3,000 kg (6,600 pounds) of cargo at a time. A hint at the ship's unprecedented delta-V capabilities is also included in the announcement, but we’ve got nothing specific there.
Blue Ring, on which a separate Blue Origin division called In-Space Systems is working, is meant to serve the needs of both commercial and government partners, but we get no details on when it will be ready for deployment.
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