Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket booster New Shepard practiced its in-flight escape on Wednesday morning in West Texas, seeing whether the abort system could successfully separate the crew capsule from the booster in case of an emergency.
The rocket had already been used four times, and Bezos said he would probably put the booster in a museum if it didn’t blow up in Wednesday’s test—which it was widely expected to do. But the booster and the crew capsule both nailed a safe landing, in another step forward for commercial space flight.
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Inside the Massive Effort to Change the Way Kids Are Taught to Read
- Dubai's Real Estate Market is Booming. One Company is Making It Possible to Invest From Anywhere in the World
- How to Exercise When It's Really Hot Outside
- A New Documentary Sheds Light on a Pivotal Movement in Asian American History
- Far From Home: Afghan Women are Attempting to Build New Lives Abroad
- What Experts Say About How Valuable The Inflation Reduction Act's Green Subsidies Will Be
- What to Know About Long COVID in Kids
- Want to Do More Good? This Movement Might Have the Answer
Read More From TIME
