Blue Origin preps for sub-orbital flights

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Bezos' Blue Origin preps for sub-orbital test flights

Blue Origin, the historically secretive rocket company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has completed development of a new hydrogen-fueled engine and plans to begin unmanned test flights of its reusable New Shepard sub-orbital spacecraft later this year, company officials said Tuesday.

The New Shepard vehicle will feature a booster, powered by the new BE-3 engine, that will propel a crew/cargo capsule to altitudes above 62 miles, the generally accepted boundary of space. The capsule then will separate and spend four to five minutes in weightlessness before falling back into the discernible atmosphere for a parachute descent.

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