Bezos' Blue Origin says rocket failure was caused by high engine nozzle temperatures

The Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin business has disclosed the findings of an inquiry it performed into the cargo mission failure last year. This inquiry claims it was brought on by a problem with a rocket engine's nozzle.

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In September 2022, the New Shepard rocket operated by the corporation and carrying science and research payloads on the NS-23 mission failed. Although there were no passengers on board and Blue Origin claims that their capsule's emergency escape system worked as intended, the rocket's reusable booster was lost in the accident.

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The examination that Bezos' company performed over the preceding six months was overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration, although little was previously known about it.

Blue Origin said in a blog post on Friday that the problem was caused directly by "a thermo-structural failure of the engine nozzle" and that the engine is now being modified, including revisions to the design to allow for higher-than-expected temperatures during the flight.

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The company stated, "Blue Origin plans to return to flight soon, with a re-flight of the NS-23 payload."

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Blue Origin's exclusive launch site in West Texas is where the New Shepard rocket takes off, sending passengers and payloads above 100 kilometers, or more than 340,000 feet, for a few minutes of weightlessness. Without a human pilot, the capsule flies autonomously and lands in the Texas desert by floating down with the aid of a set of parachutes. Reusable New Shepard rocket boosters return to a concrete landing pad close to the launch site.

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The engine failure on the NS-23 flight, according to Blue Origin's investigation, was caused by "operational temperatures that exceeded the expected and analyzed values of the nozzle material." The company recovered pieces of the BE-3PM engine's nozzle and discovered "clear evidence of thermal damage and hot streaks resulting from increased operating temperatures."

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The company confirmed that its design modifications are aimed at reinforcing the engine's nozzle as well as enhancing the engine's performance at high temperatures.