Blastoff! Blue Origin New Shepard launches to simulate moon gravity and more

The Blue Origin New Shepard NS-29 mission launch the company's first-ever moon-gravity mission from Texas on Feb. 4, 2025.

NS-29 is a research flight that carried 30 science payloads, 29 of which will test moon-related tech. In a first for Blue Origin, the payloads will experience two minutes of simulated lunar gravity, which the New Shepard capsule will induce by spinning at a rate of 11 revolutions per minute.

The company first tried to launch the NS-29 mission of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle on Jan. 28, but called off that try due to uncooperative weather and an issue with the rocket's avionics.

Credit: Blue Origin