Jeff Bezos has unveiled the new rocket engine that will power his space company's giant spacecraft that could take people, satellites, and other payloads to the moon or even beyond the Earth's orbit.
BE-4 Rocket Engine
On Monday, March 6, the Amazon CEO whose spaceflight company Blue Origin competes with Elon Musk's SpaceX, tweeted a picture of the BE-4 rocket engine, which has been under development over the past four years.
The rocket engine, now complete, will power the New Glenn rocket, a giant spacecraft designed to transport astronauts and payloads to low-Earth orbit and beyond.
Blue Origin described the new rocket engine as the fastest way to end United States' dependence on RD-180 engine, which is designed and built in Russia.
"BE-4 is the only engine that can fly by 2019, meeting the congressionally mandated deadline to eliminate dependence on Russian-built engines," Blue Origin described its engine. "The alternative engine option is multiple years behind and could not be integrated into a launch vehicle until at least 2021, extending our dependence on Russian engines well beyond 2019."
Reusable Rockets
Seven BE-4s will be needed to serve as the main engines of the New Glenn. The New Glenn will be a reusable vehicle with majority of its parts capable of landing after launch. Just like SpaceX, Bezos's company has also been working on reusable rockets that are capable of landing after takeoff, a technological capability that can significantly lower the cost of space missions.
Blue Origin has already successfully tested this technology with the New Shephard spacecraft, a suborbital rocket developed as a commercial system for suborbital space tourism. The spacecraft, which is powered by the smaller BE-3 engine, is capable of performing vertical takeoff and landing.
Amazon-Like Shipping Services To The Moon
The new engine may also play a part in future missions to the moon. The BE-4 rocket engine could be crucial in Blue Origin's bid to provide Amazon-like shipping services to the moon. The company has already expressed its interest in providing commercial lunar missions.
As the current Trump administration reveals its interest in moon missions, Blue Origin has circulated a white paper that details its interest to develop a lunar spacecraft with a lander that can deliver supplies to the lunar surface.
The company urged NASA to back the Amazon-like shipment service for the moon that could deliver cargo, experiments, and habitats. The idea may not seem feasible at the moment, but a lunar shipment service could be crucial in the future.
Such service could prove valuable if astronauts are to be stationed at the Earth's natural satellite to conduct studies or experiments or a human settlement gets established on the lunar surface. People who would stay on the moon will likely need important supplies such as food and medicines shipped from Earth just as how astronauts who are currently working at the International Space Station rely on cargoes to get the things they need from home.
"Blue Moon is all about cost-effective delivery of mass to the surface of the Moon," Bezos said. "Any credible first lunar settlement will require that capability."
