Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin headed back into space after accident

AUSTIN - The American company Blue Origin plans to launch its rocket Big Shepard on Monday for the first time since an accident more than a year ago, as the firm founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos heads back into space.

The launch window from the pad in west Texas opens at 8:30am local time, said Blue Origin, which plans to live stream the event.

This mission known as NS-24 will not carry a crew but rather equipment for scientific experiments, more than half of which Blue Origin has developed in conjunction with NASA.

In the accident in September 2022, the rocket booster stage crashed to the ground, although the capsule part of the spacecraft came down safely with parachutes. There was no crew aboard.

The accident prompted a probe by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which concluded in September 2023 with the finding that the accident was caused by a higher-than-planned temperature of the rocket's engine.

The FAA instructed Blue Origin to make changes to be allowed to resume launches, in particular regarding the design of certain engine parts.

The FAA confirmed Sunday it has approved Blue Origin's application to fly again.

Blue Origin uses its rocket called New Shepard for space tourism flights from Texas. 

It has now taken 31 people for short rides into space, including Bezos himself. 

The spacecraft is composed of a booster stage and, at the top, a capsule carrying the payload.