NS-29 took off from Blue Origin Launch One site in Culberson County, Texas, near El Paso, at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday. The reusable booster rocket made a vertical touchdown on a launching pad seven minutes after launch.
The capsule followed in the west Texas desert, but only two of its three parachutes opened fully. The third parachute appeared to open later before landing.
Blue Origin officials said, however, the capsule was designed to land safely with two parachutes and they did not report any major issues with landing.
Blue Origin, the private space company owned by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, tested experiments in simulated lunar gravity during the flight. During the trip, the payloads experienced two minutes of lunar gravity, simulated by the New Shepard spacecraft spinning at a rate of 11 revolutions per minute.
Blue Origin said the spacecraft achieved moon gravity by using a new Reaction Control System, which will take charge of making the revolutions. The spin simulates one-sixth of the Earth's gravity.
"The flight will test six broad lunar technology areas: In-situ resource utilization, dust mitigation, advanced habitation systems, seniors and instrumentation, small spacecraft technologies, and entry descent and landing," Blue Origin said in a statement.
"Proving out these technologies at a lower cost is another step toward Blue Origin's mission to lower the cost of access to space for the benefit of Earth."
Blue Origin said the test will help NASA move closer to its goals with the Artemis project of exploring the Moon's surface.
"Previously, the Moon's gravity could only be simulated a few seconds at a time via centrifuge drop tower or for 20 seconds onboard a parabolic flight," Blue Origin said.
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