Watch all-female crew including Katy Perry blast off into space | BBC News

Key Concepts

• Suborbital spaceflight
• New Shepard rocket
• Capsule and booster separation
• Weightlessness (zero-g)
• Apogee
• Re-entry and landing
• Sonic boom
• Drogue parachutes
• Main parachutes
• Air cushion landing
• Kármán line

Launch and Ascent

• The New Shepard rocket launches with six astronauts inside the capsule.
• The rocket uses onboard helium.
• T-minus countdown is initiated.
• The BE3 engine fires, and the rocket lifts off.
• The rocket clears the tower and begins climbing.
• Throttle down occurs for Q limiting (managing maximum dynamic pressure).
• The vehicle passes through max Q, the point of maximum dynamic pressure, where stresses between the atmosphere and speed are at their maximum.
• The rocket reaches supersonic speeds (Mach 1) and continues accelerating.
• The astronauts experience an incredible view during their ascent.
• The rocket passes through 80,000 feet at 1300 mph.
• The rocket is expected to peak at about 2300 mph (over Mach 3).
• Main Engine Cut Off (MECO) occurs, turning off the engine.
• The capsule separates from the booster.
• After separation, the astronauts begin to feel weightlessness.
• The capsule ascends to 328,000 ft (100 kilometers), reaching space.

Weightlessness and Apogee

• The astronauts reach Apogee, the highest point in the flight, well over 345,000 feet, exceeding the Kármán line.
• The astronauts unstrap from their seats and experience zero-g for the first time.
• Capcom provides a one-minute warning for the astronauts to prepare for re-entry.

Descent and Landing of the Booster

• The booster begins its descent back to Earth.
• Fins deploy at the top of the rocket to stabilize it.
• Drag brakes deploy to reduce the rocket's speed by half.
• The rocket relights its engine for a controlled landing.
• A sonic boom is heard as the rocket breaks the sound barrier.
• The booster achieves a picture-perfect touchdown landing just 2 miles north of the launch site.
• Dust cloud is created upon landing.

Descent and Landing of the Capsule

• The capsule begins its descent.
• Drogue parachutes deploy to stabilize the capsule.
• Main parachutes deploy, slowing the capsule to 10-15 mph.
• The capsule lands softly with an air cushion in the last milliseconds before touchdown, creating a puff of dust.
• The capsule lands north and east of the launch pad.

Post-Landing

• Health checks are performed on the astronauts inside the capsule.
• All astronauts are reported to be fine and ecstatic to be back on Earth.
• The parachutes land very close to the capsule, indicating minimal wind.
• Six more names are added to the roster of astronauts who have been over the Kármán line into space.

Key Quotes

• "Good luck and Godspeed ladies, we're cheering you on."
• "Welcome to space ladies or shall I say astronauts."
• "Picture perfect landing right there."
• "Everybody seemed to be just as ecstatic to be back here back on Earth."