Blue Origin Successfully Tests Upgraded Capsule Built for Crewed Flights

Blue Origin's New Shepard booster was powered by a hydrogen-fueled BE-3 engine, and reached an altitude of 350,858 feet (106 km) — in other words, above the internationally recognized boundary of space.

Here’s the full replay of today’s NS-14 mission. Congratulations Team Blue on another successful flight! #NewShepard: https://t.co/NCbbEdqw8Y

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) January 14, 2021

This test flight marked the "15th consecutive successful crew capsule landing," as Blue Origin said in its statement. For the New Shepard rocket and capsule, however, this was its 14th flight into sub orbit, and yesterday's mission debuted the company's new crewed capsule.

The new capsule, named RSS First Step, included upgrades such as: 

• Speakers in the cabin with a microphone and a push-to-talk button at each seat so astronauts can continuously talk to Mission Control. 
• The first flight of the crew alert system with a panel at each seat relaying important safety messages to passengers. 
• Cushioned wall linings and sound suppression devices to reduce ambient noise inside the capsule.  
• Environmental systems, including a cooling system and humidity controls to regulate temperature and prevent capsule windows from fogging during flight, as well as carbon dioxide scrubbing. 
• Six seats. 

No set date has been shared about when we can expect Blue Origin to launch humans into space aboard its new rocket and capsule, but the vessel launched on Thursday will be the same one that will ultimately launch and land humans into space and back.

Watch the whole launch below: