On Monday, Blue Origin LLC aborted the launch of its suborbital New Shepard rocket in West Texas. This was a payload mission, so no people were on board.
Shortly after takeoff, the New Shepard rocket experienced engine problems and veered off course, activating the emergency abort system.
Once the failure occurred, the capsule carrying the payload separated from the rocket and landed safely under parachutes.
"You can see how our backup safety systems kicked in today to keep our payload safe during an off-nominal situation. Safety is our highest value at Blue Origin."
- Erika Wagner, Senior Director of Emerging Space Markets
The New Shepard rocket has so far enjoyed an almost flawless flying record, except for one partial failure early in its testing campaign.
