FAA recommends 21 corrective actions for Jeff Bezos's space company
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has wrapped up its investigation into the mishap that happened to Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital vehicle in September 2022. During that uncrewed research mission, the reusable first-stage booster faced a major issue about 65 seconds after launch, resulting in it crashing back to Earth. Luckily, the capsule's emergency escape system kicked in, allowing it to land safely with parachutes and leaving the 36 research payloads unscathed.
The cause of the mishap
Blue Origin, with oversight from the FAA and input from the National Transportation Safety Board and NASA's Flight Opportunities Program and Commercial Crew Office, carried out a thorough investigation. In March, Blue Origin revealed that a "thermo-structural failure" in the engine's nozzle, which powers New Shepard's first stage, was behind the incident. The FAA's final report supports this conclusion. "The structural failure of an engine nozzle caused by higher-than-expected engine operating temperatures," caused the September mishap, said FAA.
Corrective actions required before the next launch
The FAA has provided Blue Origin with a list of 21 corrective actions to avoid a repeat of the incident. These actions include "redesign of engine and nozzle components to improve structural performance during operation as well as organizational changes," per the FAA. Before resuming New Shepard launches, Blue Origin "must implement" all corrective measures that impact public safety and obtain a license modification from the FAA addressing all safety and other relevant regulatory requirements.
Blue Origin plans to fly again 'soon'
In response, Blue Origin posted on X saying "We've received the FAA's letter and plan to fly soon." The specific organizational changes mandated by the FAA report, however, remain uncertain, as the report is not publicly available due to "sensitive export control information." Separately, Blue Origin recently shared that CEO Bob Smith will step down in December, with Amazon executive Dave Limp taking his place. Both Amazon and Blue Origin were founded by Jeff Bezos.
The September 2022 mission was New Shepard's 23rd launch
For New Shepard, the September 2022 mission marked its 23rd overall launch, with six of those flights carrying passengers. While New Shepard has been grounded, its main rival in the suborbital space tourism industry, Virgin Galactic, has successfully launched four crewed missions using its VSS Unity space plane. Virgin Galactic is gearing up for its Galactic 04 commercial spaceflight which will take place on October 5.
