24/7 Space News
SPACEMART
NASA and Blue Origin partner to propel space technology in latest suborbital flight
Flight profile for Blue Origin's New Shepard. NASA's collaboration with Blue Origin, through the Flight Opportunities program, is a significant stride in space technology development. It not only advances research in areas like alternative fuels, biosensor production, and biological studies but also strengthens the commercial space industry's role in future space explorations. This mission demonstrates the promising trajectory of space technology, driven by a blend of academic research, government initiatives, and private sector innovation.
NASA and Blue Origin partner to propel space technology in latest suborbital flight
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 21, 2023

In a significant step towards advancing space technology, NASA, in partnership with commercial spaceflight company Blue Origin, successfully conducted a suborbital flight test on December 19, 2023. The mission, part of NASA's Flight Opportunities program, propelled 14 research payloads towards future space missions and commercial applications. This collaboration signifies a concerted effort to tackle the challenges and opportunities of sustained human presence in space.

The payloads, aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard reusable suborbital rocket, soared to an altitude of 351,248 feet from Launch Site One in West Texas. During their flight, these payloads experienced approximately three minutes of microgravity, a condition crucial for understanding the effects of reduced gravity on technology and biological organisms.

Danielle McCulloch, program manager for Flight Opportunities at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, emphasized the role of commercial spaceflight in advancing space technologies. "NASA relies on emerging commercial spaceflight capabilities to rapidly test disruptive solutions for space applications," she said. The collaboration with companies like Blue Origin is a strategic move to make space exploration and commerce more accessible to a wider range of researchers.

This mission also marks a significant achievement for Blue Origin, marking the return to flight for their New Shepard rocket. The flight illustrates the strengthening bond between NASA and the commercial space industry, a relationship that is vital for NASA's future explorations of the moon, Mars, and beyond.

Among the intriguing technologies tested was a project investigating the use of paraffin and beeswax as safer, cost-effective spacecraft fuel alternatives. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology leveraged this flight to explore in-space manufacturing techniques for these materials, potentially revolutionizing small spacecraft propulsion.

Another highlight of the flight was a project by Ecoatoms Inc., a small business from Reno, Nevada. They aimed to advance the production of biosensors in low Earth orbit. Earth's gravity often hampers the quality of these sensors, but manufacturing them in microgravity could lead to smoother and more uniform sensors, enhancing their performance. Solange Massa, founder and CEO of Ecoatoms, shared her enthusiasm: "We are excited to test at-scale manufacturing of biosensors in space. Coating hundreds of sensors in microgravity will provide us with extremely valuable information to advance our technology." This test is not only a stepping stone for space-based healthcare tools but also a testament to the growing intersection of space exploration and healthcare advancements.

The University of Colorado Boulder and Montana State University embarked on a fascinating study using a yeast variant, Candida albicans, to understand how microgravity affects humans. This research could offer insights into the cellular and physiological adaptations necessary for extended human space missions.

Other technologies benefiting from this flight included an electrophysiological measurement system, lens-free imaging system, an experiment on the application of electric fields to dust simulants, a tool for evaluating soil properties on near-Earth asteroids, and several others. These technologies, developed by various universities, small businesses, and NASA centers, underline the diverse contributions to space research.

Related Links
NASA's Flight Opportunities Program
The latest information about the Commercial Satellite Industry

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SPACEMART
Measuring how space creates jobs and prosperity on Earth
Paris (ESA) Dec 18, 2023
Space is becoming ever more important to life on Earth - from managing climate change to responding to emergencies to digitalising the economy. To help policymakers and businesses take informed decisions about investing in space, ESA has published plans to create robust and reliable data on the space economy, in collaboration with international partners. The increasing importance of space means that demand for reliable and timely statistics on the space economy has grown. To meet this demand, ESA ... read more

SPACEMART
NASA Outlines Future Strategy for Post-ISS Microgravity Research Labs in LEO

Insect compasses, fire-fighting vines: 2023's nature-inspired tech

MSBAI and Princeton partner in SpaceWERX contract to enhance space flight training

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin headed back into space after accident

SPACEMART
KSC looks ahead to a busy year in 2024

ESA and IENAI Space unveil innovative electrospray propulsion for small satellites

Equatorial Launch Australia Unveils Innovative ASC Advanced Launch Pad Designs

NASA's 3D-printed Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine Test a Success

SPACEMART
A Soliday Before the Holidays Sols 4039-4040

Watch Your Step: Sols 4037-4038

NASA's Perseverance Rover Deciphers Ancient History of Martian Lake

A Rinse and Repeat Kind of Plan: Sols 4035-4036

SPACEMART
China's commercial space sector achieves milestones with series of successful launches

China's space programme: Five things to know

Long March rockets mark their 500th spaceflight

CAS Space expands into Guangdong with new rocket engine testing complex

SPACEMART
NASA Enhances Aerospace Innovation with New SBIR Ignite Phase I Awards

NASA and Blue Origin partner to propel space technology in latest suborbital flight

Measuring how space creates jobs and prosperity on Earth

Satellite Communications Innovator Lynk Global to Go Public via Slam Corp. Merger

SPACEMART
ESA Partners with GMV for Advanced Greek Space Debris Tracking Radar

Apex satellite factory aiming to produce 50 units annually

ESA leads the way towards a Zero Debris future

D-Orbit and TelePIX announce contract for the in-orbit testing of Tetraplex

SPACEMART
Some Icy Exoplanets May Have Habitable Oceans and Geysers

Earth may have had all the elements needed for life within it all along

Research unveils atmospheric dynamics of runaway greenhouse effect

NASA Study Finds Life-Sparking Energy Source and Molecule at Enceladus

SPACEMART
Webb rings in the holidays with the ringed planet Uranus

Unwrapping Uranus and its icy moon secrets

Juice burns hard towards first-ever Earth-Moon flyby

Fall into an ice giant's atmosphere

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.