After almost six months, Blue Origin has shared the results of its investigation into the anomaly that occurred during the company’s 23rd suborbital launch. Fortunately, the escape function performed flawlessly, but it was determined that there was an issue with the nozzle.
The incident occurred approximately 65 seconds after liftoff, resulting in the loss of the reusable first-stage booster of the New Shepard rocket. However, the capsule was able to launch itself away from the problem and landed safely using parachutes.
Thankfully, there were no injuries or damage to any property. The nozzle, which contains and shapes the thrust, was found to have a persistent hot streak due to higher temperatures resulting from modifications made to the engine’s boundary layer cooling system. This caused a mismatch in the thrust coming from that engine, triggering the escape system.