The image shows the Blue Origin crew capsule automatically separating from the rocket booster after an anamoly. Photo: Blue Origin livestream
The image shows the Blue Origin crew capsule automatically separating from the rocket booster after an anamoly. Photo: Blue Origin livestream
The image shows the Blue Origin crew capsule automatically separating from the rocket booster after an anamoly. Photo: Blue Origin livestream
The image shows the Blue Origin crew capsule automatically separating from the rocket booster after an anamoly. Photo: Blue Origin livestream

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Blue Origin blames rocket failure on faulty engine nozzle

The mission last year was aborted mid-flight one minute after launch

Sarwat Nasir
Sarwat Nasir

March 26, 2023

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Blue Origin has blamed an overheated engine nozzle for the failure of one of its rockets last year.

An uncrewed mission was aborted mid-flight in September after its rocket booster experienced an anomaly only one minute after it took off from a West Texas desert.

An investigation by the company, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, has revealed that the problem was because of a thermo-structural failure of the engine nozzle.

This caused the nozzle to overheat and then the crew capsule escape system activated.

No passengers were on board the NS-23 mission, which was carrying 36 payloads from schools, research institutions and pupils around the world.

“The crew capsule escape system worked as designed, bringing the capsule and its payloads to a safe landing at Launch Site One with no damage,” Blue Origin said in a statement on Friday.

Even though this was a cargo-only flight, the space tourism company has launched 32 people on its suborbital flights so far.

Flights were grounded after the incident and the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation.

Blue Origin hopes to return to flight soon with the internal investigation report now submitted to the FAA, but the authority will have to give the green light before they can resume operations.

The company said that it has made a few design changes to improve the rocket.

“Blue Origin is implementing corrective actions, including design changes to the combustion chamber and operating parameters, which have reduced engine nozzle bulk and hot-streak temperatures,” the company said.

“Additional design changes to the nozzle have improved structural performance under thermal and dynamic loads.”

Blue Origin’s space tourism flights — ones with passengers on board — offer a 10-minute experience.

Once the spacecraft separates from the booster, it soars 106 kilometres above the ground, bringing the passengers views of Earth against the darkness of space.

The reusable booster lands back at the launch site.

The capsule then descends towards the Texas desert under three parachutes and retro engines, bringing the passengers safely back to the ground.

Blue Origin’s competitor Virgin Galactic had also hoped to launch space tourism flights.

Company founder Sir Richard Branson flew on the first flight in 2020, but no flights have taken off since.

It is expected they would restart later this year.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Updated: March 26, 2023, 4:00 AM
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