If you’ve followed SpaceX Falcon 9 launches for a while, you may know how the company routinely lands each vehicle’s first stage — the bottommost portion of the rocket that gives the initial burst of power at liftoff — on seafaring platforms that SpaceX calls “droneships.” Musk’s company has bestowed some intriguing names on those vessels — including Just Read the Instructions, A Shortfall of Gravitas, and Of Course I Still Love You. Those are all nods to Iain M. Banks’ “Culture” series of science fiction books.
Blue Origin hopes to replicate SpaceX’s success in recovering rocket boosters in order to drive down costs. Named for Bezos’ mother, the company’s “Jacklyn” landing pad was initially going to be on board a retrofitted cargo ship that Bezos purchased years ago.
But Blue Origin abandoned those plans in 2022, saying it would seek a more “cost-effective alternative” to refashioning the ship to catch rockets. The company has since debuted a new version of “Jacklyn” — a platform that looks much like SpaceX’s droneships. No humans will be on board the 380-foot-long vessel during landing, according to Blue Origin.
Welcome home, Jacklyn. This sea-based landing platform is where New Glenn’s reusable booster will return home again and again after each mission to quickly refurbish for its next flight. — Blue Origin (@blueorigin) September 4, 2024
