Blue Origin rocket on the ground after first launch failure for Jeff Bezos’ space company | Science and technology news

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ rocket company has suffered its first launch failure — with an escape system that ejects the crew capsule to safety.

Images show flames shooting out of the engine about a minute after flight and the capsule firing from the nose of the rocket.

It later landed in the Texas desert, aided by three parachutes.

Monday’s mission was crewless and included dozens of experiments, but it’s the same system used to take humans to the edge of space.

Blue Origin said the “capsule escape system worked as designed” after the booster failed on its New Shepard rocket.

Video released by the company showed the landing of the capsule but not the fate of the rocket, which was flying about 700 miles per hour at about 28,000 feet (8,500 m).

The takeoff commentary fell silent when the error occurred, and the announcer finally said, “It appears we experienced an anomaly on today’s flight. That was not planned.”

The rocket usually lands upright so it can be used for future flights.

The FAA, America’s aviation regulator, has left the missile on the ground pending an investigation.

It was the 23rd assignment for the company and Mr. Bezos was on the first manned mission last year.

thirty-one people, including Star Trek actor William ShatnerYou traveled by rocket and the last paid flight was last month.

Blue Origin, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Elon Musk’s SpaceX are all competing in the burgeoning space tourism sector.