Uncrewed Blue Origin rocket encounters anomaly during flight, capsule escapes

Jeff Bezos’ private space company Blue Origin is investigating an anomaly of its New Shepard spacecraft after launching Monday from west Texas. There were no people on board.

About a minute after launch, the rocket wobbled as it was passing through max-Q — which is when the rocket faces the maximum stress during launch. That was when the capsule’s abort motors fired, pushing it away from the rocket booster while some 28,000 feet above its launch site in Van Horn, Texas.

A Blue Origin launch commentator said the mission experienced an anomaly and the crew capsule was able to escape successfully, touching down beneath three parachutes in Van Horn, Texas.