Blue Ring engines will not be repurposed from the current line of engines used on the New Shepard suborbital system
Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, announced that its Blue Ring orbital platform will be tested on an upcoming mission sponsored by the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Office.
Blue Ring — it is a multi-mission platform being developed to provide logistics services in space. The Pentagon-backed mission, known as DarkSky-1, will demonstrate a system developed by Blue Origin, including space-based data processing and storage capabilities, ground-based radiometric tracking, and telemetry, tracking and control equipment, also known as TT&C telemetry and control).
«The lessons learned from the DS-1 mission will provide a step forward for the Blue Ring and its ability to provide greater access to multiple orbits, bringing us closer to realizing the vision of millions of people working in space for the benefit of Earth& ;raquo;, — said Paul Ebertz, senior vice president of In-Space Systems (a business unit of Blue Origin) in a press release.
Blue Origin has announced that the DarkSky-1 system will be used as a payload on a future space launch organized by the US Space Force. However, information about the launch service provider and the specific timing of the launch have not been disclosed. The license application filed with the Federal Communications Commission states that launch is expected in the fourth quarter of 2024. The application also states that the payload will remain attached to the upper stage of the launch vehicle and will move in an elliptical orbit with an altitude of 2,500 to 21,000 kilometers. The duration of the mission will be no more than 12 hours.
Although Blue Origin did not disclose the cost of the mission, contract documents indicate that the Department of Defense awarded the company $4.9 million.