We've built a full-scale deployable aerobrake unit showcasing technology that uses planetary atmospheres to slow spacecraft, saving significant mass and cost and enabling heavy cargo delivery from the Moon, to Mars, and point-to-point missions on Earth. Lighter and larger than conventional aeroshells, it deploys in space and stows for... launch, making it easily configurable to many different vehicles.show more

Casually announcing that you've built a massive deployable heat shield on a random Wednesday is actually crazy

At this rate, by Friday they’ll announce a fully reusable upper stage.

Holy shit. BO has been cooking

Anyone noticing this going on rn?

You want to send a man to space under a tarp?

Our perception of Blue Origin before landing a booster and after smashing expectations

Big enough to recover GS2's engines?

Now all you need is a REALLY big racket… or like, two…

You made a big black umbrella to slow your decent? Congratulations, you’re investing in technology pioneered by Mary Poppins.

Explain to me how a "deployable aerobrake" can use "planetary atmospheres to slow spacecraft" and so "enabling heavy cargo delivery from the Moon"?

SpaceX is doing human end to end transport on earth. Blue origin is looking at moving cargo using end to end transport on earth. Inversion wants to drop packages from space to your house in an hour.

There’s so much potential in systems like this. Excited to see next steps. Keep innovating Blue!

Welcome to the multi-ton Earth return club! Low-beta decelerators are the key unlock for opening a return lane from space and it’s nice to see @outpostspace finally has some good company.

Dumb question. Could this be used to recover a New Glenn second stage?

Bro has been building his shit in silent while the other mandem has been making noise for every one on the internet about every single thing

I’m questioning how a fabric can withstand the heat and force of a reentry from deep space, considering the stress on small shields and the cubed heating factor on large shields that (for NASA) kept the field stagnant for 50 years.

nice onion tent ya got there

I love this timeline 💕 Blue Origin. SpaceX. All the others. They're in the ring RIGHT NOW. The ring is a garden. They're just small little seeds, planted near the early parts of the book on the grand Human story. Planted. Sprouted. Yet to bloom. Though, the blooms will be immaculate. Showering the Human Species with endless fruit. Exciting times! To get to observe and experience this incredible chapter from the grand Human story. It's a great chapter. It's a great book. 🌱🕊🌌️

Blue Origin has been cooking. Excited to see what else they're cooking up.

Adept system developed by NASA. + @outpostspace

Blue Origin builds industry on the Moon, delivers their lunar made material to other markets. SpaceX focuses on Mars.

Is it single use only or reusable?

Like a giant umbrella. Hmmm…You know it doesn’t always go so well for the coyote when he jumps off a cliff with an umbrella.

Blue origin a sleeping giant in the space industry, just woke up and it's on a roll.

Blue origin did more this month than it had done in 20 years wtf

Unless the trailing spacecraft is connected to the aerobrake unit by a solid rod of some sort, the aerobrake unit will slow down faster than the spacecraft due to higher atmospheric friction, causing a collision. 💥 See upper right graphic.

Please name the first one “Mary Poppins”

This is of course a good application for lunar basalt engineered fabrics:

This is awesome. How many times can it be reused?

Casually mentioning you build a heat proof space umbrella is insane! 👏 ☂️

I waste of money they’re starving and hungry children that will never see the light a day or even know about what’s going on. What is the point to go to the moon and Mars fix the planet that you’re on and then travel

Since when did you become that sexy BO ? Hum ? I didn’t get that memo

This looks amazing. Is it intended for single use? I'm super curious how that material can hold up through super heated plasma.