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back to article Bold Bezos aims skywards with liquid hydrogen and SPACE ROCKET engine

Amazon supremo Jeff Bezos' private space outfit Blue Origin has announced it has successfully tested its BE-3 space rocket engine "in a pattern that simulated a suborbital mission". The BE-3 firing. Pic: Blue Origin The BE-3 roared to life at the company's test facility near Van Horn, Texas, on 20 November. Burning liquid …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Kilograms?!

    Kilograms of thrust? Pounds, ok, well that's the funny way they do things over there, but surely someone there must have realized the equivalent metric unit of thrust is the Newton...

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    1. Dr. Mouse
      Reply Icon

      Re: Kilograms?!

      "surely someone there must have realized the equivalent metric unit of thrust is the Newton"

      IMHO kg thrust is a perfectly acceptable unit of meaasurement, especially when taking about lifting a load (pretty much) straight up.

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  2. Joe User

    Burning hydrogen versus kerosene

    One big benefit: the result is just steam (albeit very hot).

    2 0
    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Burning hydrogen versus kerosene

      Yes because Carbon footprint is the major concern of space launches

      0 2
  3. brooxta

    Controlled landing

    Personally it comes as no surprise that there is a controlled vertical landing phase for the Blue Origin rocket. I've always been impressed with Amazon's returns policy.

    11 0
  4. channel extended
    Meh

    LOX no bagel

    I have to assume that the oxidant is O2.

    0 1
    1. MajorTom
      Reply Icon

      Re: LOX no bagel

      Yes, L iquid OX ygen.

      0 0
  5. Tromos
    Joke

    I presume these are only for Amazon prime platinum supreme delivery.

    2 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Hopefully a bit better than HDNL, with their "somewhere in the region of, eventually, maybe" delivery policy.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        HDNL

        'We tried to deliver your satelite but you were out so we have left it with your neighbour on Mars...'

        2 0
  6. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    LO2/LH2 is *very* challenging.

    This is an impressive feat by BO. Thumbs up.

    However if they are planning to do SSTO on 1 engine it will have to throttle down much farther as the structure will have to be much lighter to make orbit, say around 5%.

    People might like to note this is (AFAIK) a completely new engine, in comparison with NASA's J-2X. They might also like to note the schedule it's taken to get to here.

    0 2
  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    They're getting serious about this drone delivery service.

    0 0
  8. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Meh

    I snese a J2-x fanbois in the audience.

    Let's see.

    BE3. Completely new LO2/LH2 gas generator engine built from scratch by newly assembled team.

    The current NASA J-2X project is

    Combustion chamber. Scaled down from RS68

    Gas generator. Scaled down from RS68

    Injectors. From original J2 design.

    Nozzle extension. From RL10.

    Why do it this way you ask? Simple the RS68 cannot be "man rated" according to NASA so new super duper man rated engine needed for SLS upper stage.

    Apparently using the J2 injectors makes the new J-2 "man rated."

    Hint. If the RS68 were man rated one of the reasons for needing SLS goes away as you you can launch the crew and MPCV on a Delta IV.

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    1. detritus
      Reply Icon

      Re: I snese a J2-x fanbois in the audience.

      As much of a sci-tech space nerd as I think I am sometimes, I snese you're vastly over-estimating the audience's tribalism where competing rocket engines are concerned...

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      1. Pascal Monett Silver badge
        Reply Icon
        Coat

        On the other hand, say that one of the rocket engines uses Windows 8 and we'll be all over it.

        6 0
      2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: I sense a J2-x fanbois in the audience.

        "As much of a sci-tech space nerd as I think I am sometimes, I snese you're vastly over-estimating the audience's tribalism where competing rocket engines are concerned..."

        I don't think so.

        You have no idea how these NASA fanbois can get.

        0 0
  9. Ramiro
    Boffin

    Super compact

    It's amazing how compact that looks for something that puts out 50.000 kgf of thrust.

    1 0
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