There is something inherently exciting about watching a rocket takeoff and land. And thanks to the recent advances in technology, the same rocket can do both, and that too multiple times. SpaceX has already been showing off its Falcon 9 reusable rockets. Now, Blue Origin has also released a video demonstrating how its super-heavy-lift, New Glenn rocket will launch and land on a barge placed atop a crewed ship.
The company has released an animated video that shows a New Glenn rocket taking off and landing. While the take-off takes place from a launch pad near a company facility, the rocket lands vertically on a landing barge built on a ship housing a crew. Interestingly, this also outlines one of the few prominent differences between SpaceX and Blue Origin’s modus operandi. While the former has an autonomous landing barge, the latter has a ship built upon a ship complete with a crew.
Blue Origin is currently engaged in a media tour for the rocket. The company recently revealed the heavy-duty, BE-4 engine that will be providing the lift to the rocket through a series of tweets. The company has already signed a contract with France-based TV provider Eutelsat to put one of the latter’s satellites into the geostationary orbit after 2021.
Technically, Blue Origin was the first company to demonstrate a reusable rocket with the launch and landing of the New Shepard rocket in 2015. However, SpaceX quickly followed with a Falcon 9 of its own and indeed, managed to deploy that particular model of rocket in several spaceflights. The Elon Musk led company is believed to have obtained something of an edge over Blue Origin when it comes to spaceflights courtesy of cheaper prices and a wider assortment of signed contracts.
However, that is a subject widely open to debate. Meanwhile, New Glenn’s launch and landing capabilities are certainly worth a watch. Check out the video right below:
