LAUNCH OF BLUE ORIGIN’S NEW SHEPARD ROCKET, Oct 13, 2020, 9:35 am ET

Update, October 12:  The launch has been rescheduled for tomorrow, October 13, at 9:35 am EDT (8:35 am Central).  The company’s webcast will begin 30 minutes prior to launch.

Update September 25, 8:30 am ET:  The launch has been delayed again.

Update: #NewShepard NS-13 launch is a no go for today. We are working to verify a fix on a technical issue and taking an extra look before we fly. New launch target forthcoming.

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) September 25, 2020

Update, September 24, 8:00 pm ET:  The launch has been rescheduled to tomorrow, September 25, at 11:00 am ET.

Update, September 24, 12:15 pm ET:  The launch initially was delayed from 11:00 am to 12:40 pm Eastern Time because of weather, but at 12:10 pm ET was scrubbed for the day because of a technical issue.  A new launch date will be announced later.

We’ve detected a potential issue with the power supply to the experiments. Launch is scrubbed for today. New launch target forthcoming.

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) September 24, 2020

Original Entry: Blue Origin will conduct the next launch of its New Shepard reusable, suborbital rocket on September 24, 2020 at 10:00 am Central Time (11:00 am Eastern).  It is the 7th consecutive flight of this rocket.

The launch will be webcast on Blue Origin’s website beginning at T-30 minutes, which is 10:30 am ET if the time does not slip. The rocket is carrying 12 payloads for various customers including NASA, so NASA also will broadcast it on NASA Live.

Of special interest is the Deorbit, Descent, and Landing Sensor Demonstration that is sponsored by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate under a Tipping Point partnership.  It will demonstrate precision navigation and landing for the lunar surface and is the first payload that will be mounted on the exterior of the New Shepard rocket.

“The experiment will verify how these technologies (sensors, computers, and algorithms) work together to determine a spacecraft’s location and speed as it approaches the Moon, enabling a vehicle to land autonomously on the lunar surface within 100 meters of a designated point. The technologies could allow future missions—both crewed and robotic—to target landing sites that weren’t possible during the Apollo missions, such as regions with varied terrain near craters. Achieving high accuracy landing will enable long-term lunar exploration and future Mars missions.“