Blue Origin successfully tests capsule safety, lands booster

A rocket owned by Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin blasted off from Texas on Wednesday and then landed itself intact, even though engineers had expected it to crash after an important demonstration of how its unmanned crew capsule could fly away from the rocket in an emergency. The test, which concluded with the rocket's landing and the capsule parachuting safely to the desert floor, was an important step forward for Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin by showing the passenger capsule can escape from the rocket should something go wrong during launch. Saving the capsule was the only goal of the test and the survival of the Blue Shepherd rocket, which was making its fifth flight, was a bonus for Blue Origin. Read More http://ift.tt/2dLwdf1