Kent-based Blue Origin recently completed acceptance testing of its BE\u20113 rocket engine, the first new hydrogen engine to be developed in the United States in more than a decade.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The 110,000-lbf (pounds of force) BE\u20113 will power Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard suborbital system, and later, will be modified for upper stage applications, according to a company media release on April 7.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“The BE\u20113 has now been fired for more than 30,000 seconds over the course of 450 tests,\u201d said Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin founder, in a media release. \u201cWe test, learn, refine and then test again to push our engines. The Blue Origin team did an outstanding job exploring the corners of what the BE\u20113 can do and soon we\u2019ll put it to the ultimate test of flight.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The BE\u20113 can be continuously throttled between 110,000-lbf and 20,000-lbf thrust, a key capability for vertical takeoff and vertical landing vehicles. The testing profile included multiple mission duty cycles, deep throttling and off-nominal test points.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cLiquid hydrogen is challenging, deep throttling is challenging and reusability is challenging,” said Bezos. \u201cThis engine has all three. The rewards are highest performance, vertical landing even with a single-engine vehicle and low cost. And, as a future upper stage engine, hydrogen greatly increases payload capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The BE\u20113 engine was designed and fabricated at Blue Origin\u2019s design, development and production facility in Kent. Full-engine testing was conducted at the company\u2019s facilities in West Texas, while earlier combustion chamber testing was completed at NASA\u2019s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The BE\u20113 is the third generation of Blue Origin-developed engines. The fourth-generation BE\u20114 uses liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to produce 550,000-lbf thrust at sea level. Under development since 2012, the BE\u20114 provides the lowest cost and fastest production path to power the nation\u2019s access to space. Selected by United Launch Alliance to serve as the primary propulsion provider for its Next Generation Launch System, Blue Origin is developing the BE\u20114 as an integrated part of America\u2019s newest launch vehicle.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Blue Origin, LLC is a private company developing vehicles and technologies to enable commercial human space transportation. Blue Origin has a long-term vision of greatly increasing the number of people that fly into space so that we humans can better continue exploring the solar system.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n