Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-29 Conducts First Lunar Gravity Simulation

Blue Origin’s NS-29 mission simulated Moon gravity to support lunar research, with key experiments funded by NASA.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 6 February 2025 17:00 IST

Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-29 Conducts First Lunar Gravity Simulation

Photo Credit: Blue Origin

The New Shepard rocket lifted off from the company’s West Texas facility on February 4 at 11 a.m

Highlights

Blue Origin’s NS-29 mission simulated lunar gravity in space
New Shepard capsule rotated to create Moon-like gravity conditions
NASA-backed payloads tested lunar dust and fire behaviour

A significant milestone in suborbital spaceflight was achieved by Blue Origin with the launch of its uncrewed NS-29 mission. The New Shepard rocket lifted off from the company's West Texas facility on February 4 at 11 a.m. EST, following a week-long delay caused by adverse weather conditions and a technical issue in the rocket's avionics system. The booster and capsule both returned to Earth successfully, though one of the capsule's three parachutes did not fully deploy. Blue Origin stated during the live broadcast that the capsule was engineered to land safely with fewer than three parachutes.

Lunar Gravity Simulated for Research Payloads

According to reports, the NS-29 mission introduced a lunar gravity simulation for the first time using the New Shepard vehicle. The capsule achieved this by rotating approximately 11 times per minute for a duration of two minutes, a manoeuvre facilitated by its reaction-control thrusters. The mission carried 30 research payloads, with 29 focused on lunar-related technologies. Blue Origin outlined six key research areas, including in-situ resource utilisation, dust mitigation, advanced habitation systems, sensors and instrumentation, small spacecraft technologies, and entry, descent, and landing systems.

NASA-Supported Research Aboard the Flight

More than half of the payloads were backed by NASA's Flight Opportunities Program. The U.S. space agency is engaged in efforts to establish a long-term human presence on and around the Moon through the Artemis programme. A NASA experiment named the Electrostatic Dust Lofting project examined how lunar dust becomes electrically charged and lifted under ultraviolet light exposure. Another NASA-supported study, the Lunar-g Combustion Investigation, explored fire behaviour under the Moon's gravity conditions to enhance safety measures for future lunar habitats.

Blue Origin launches NS-29 to simulate moon gravity for NASA experiments

Future Applications of Gravity Simulation

In an X(formerly Twitter) post, Blue Origin Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp stated that this capability provides NASA and other lunar technology developers with a cost-effective method to conduct research. He added that New Shepard's gravity simulation could be adapted for Mars and other celestial bodies, expanding its potential for future space exploration research.

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