Cutting-edge escape system saves Blue Origin's failed space mission

Blue Origin, an American private aerospace company, after successfully launching three tourism flights into space this year, was hoping for a fourth successful mission late on September 11 evening. But, not all was well with the launch vehicle.

Just over a minute after launching from Launch Site One in West Texas, the spacecraft triggered an emergency abort, which activated the Crew Escape System, jettisoning the crew capsule away from the booster in a synergised dance of computational algorithms and aerospace engineering, per India Today.

The good news was that there were no humans on board this time, and if there were, the system showed they would have been safe.

The spacecraft was carrying 36 payloads from academia, research institutions, and students across the globe into space, which came down thudding to the surface of the planet under a parachute. Two of the payloads were flying on the exterior of the New Shepard booster for ambient exposure to the space environment.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), it is an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort. In 2018, the Indian space agency tested this unique ability and is preparing for two such abort missions to test the systems for the Gaganyaan crewed mission that is scheduled for next year.

The Crew Escape System is also part of the Artemis-1 mission, which is preparing to launch on its maiden mission to the Moon. The abort system comprises three solid rocket motors: the abort motor pulls the crew module away from the rocket; the attitude control motor steers and orients the capsule; then the jettison motor ignites to separate the launch abort system from Orion for parachute deployment and a safe crew landing.

Nasa has said that the launch abort system will safely lift the Orion crew module away from the Space Launch System rocket in the event of an emergency on the launch pad or during ascent.