Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Launches And Gets Back Reusable Rocket For Third Time

An unmanned test of Jeff Bezos' privately-funded spaceflight company Blue Origin sent the prototype reusable rocket into space on Saturday, after which it returned well in time. This was the third successful test flight of Blue Origins' reusable rocket in just about five months.

It made its powerful, suborbital space from Blue Origin's West Texas test center. It separated in space, sent its capsule plummeting in a parachute and the rocket came to descend on the landing.

"Flawless BE-3 restart and perfect booster landing," Bezos said, confirming that the capsule parachutes were deployed with no problems. "[Crew capsule] touchdown confirmed."

This third vertical launch and landing by the company's New Shepard rocket and capsule followed the first successful landing on Nov. 23 and second on Jan. 22.

This is the launch of a unique space tourism goal. The mission is to use the New Shepard rocket and capsule so that it can offer paid trips into space for passengers aspiring to glimpse the universe, even though Bezos has not come out with a price range.

Each time six people can go into space, but not high enough to reach orbit. The suborbital capsule will climb over the boundary between Earth and space before it lands through a parachute, even as the booster uses thrusters to come back vertically.

Hence, Bezos is planning to launch millions into space simultaneously.

"The vision for Blue [Origin] is pretty simple," he said. "We want to see millions of people living and working in space, and that's going to take a long time. It's a worthwhile goal."

"It'll just be an incredibly fun, inspiring part of humanity's future to go exploring the solar system," he added. "Who wouldn't want to do that? Sign me up."

The plan is to make their rockets cost-effective, by creating reusable rockets. Elon Musk and SpaceX are planning to devise reusable rockets, instead of the current "throwaway" launching rockets after every time it is used.