The New Shepard capsule flies above the Kármán line, while Virgin Galactic’s craft reached an altitude of around 53 miles during Branson’s flight, which fueled a budding rivalry between the companies.īezos’ flight was a critical milestone for Blue Origin and the commercial spaceflight industry, which until now has been dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The edge of space is often defined by the so-called Kármán line, at 62 miles. Both the rocket and capsule are also designed to be reusable.īlue Origin’s capsule is also designed to reach a higher altitude than Virgin Galactic’s vehicle. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket and capsule launch vertically and are designed to fly autonomously.
Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered Unity craft launches from a carrier airplane from an altitude of 50,000 feet and is flown by two onboard pilots.
It's another thing to see with your own eyes how fragile it is.'Īlthough Bezos’ suborbital experience was similar to that of Branson, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic operate with different flight profiles. 'It's one thing to recognize that intellectually. 'It's actually incredibly thin,' Bezos said about Earth's atmosphere.
