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Blue Origin's 24th mission of the New Shepard rocket has been deemed a success. Although this was an uncrewed mission, it carried 33 science payloads into low orbit, with more than half of them provided by NASA. The payloads included experiments studying the strength of planetary soils under differing gravity conditions, among other scientific investigations.
The mission served as a redo of a flight from the previous year that was cut short due to a malfunction in the New Shepard booster's hydrogen-based rocket engine. This incident led to a suspension of Blue Origin launches until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed its investigation. The FAA's investigation concluded in September, allowing Blue Origin to resume launches after implementing corrective actions, including a redesign of the booster's engine and nozzle.
While Blue Origin hasn't announced official plans for future crewed flights, the company has taken steps to enhance accessibility by installing an elevator at the launch tower, making launches more inclusive for people with disabilities. Blue Origin has also started promotions to attract customers for future crewed flights, and individuals can apply to add a payload to upcoming launches.
