Three Ways Blue Origin's New Glenn Launch Benefits Life on Earth

This morning, John Glenn returned to space.?

As the namesake for Blue Origin’s rocket, today’s mission, nicknamed NG-1, was an important milestone for the company to earn certification for contracts with the U.S. Space Force for the National Security Space Launch.?

It’s often said we should spend less money on space exploration and more money on Earth.?

Here are three ways today’s launch benefits all of us:

Technology transfer.

Since the beginning of the space program, the advancement in technology, materials, and processes have not only resulted in Americans planting a flag on the Moon.?

What we learn to explore space benefits terrestrial technological developments. The advancement of reusable rockets has practical applications as the world looks for more sustainable solutions to drive conservation efforts and provide the necessary resources to maintain life on this planet.

More than 2,000 commercial NASA spinoffs have been developed over time. NASA’s Technology Transfer?program maximizes?public benefit by ensuring that these scientific and technological breakthroughs are widely available.?

Competition.

Market competition in space exploration is not “Bezos vs. Musk” (although that might get a few million views on Pay-Per-View).?

Competition drives demand for parts and pieces made by much smaller fabrication and technology companies in the aerospace ecosystem. While not as sensational, having more companies with similar capabilities builds redundancies into the industry, which provides safety and capacity. Redundancy in space operations continues to emerge as a huge national security issue as the U.S. Space Force and other entities respond to emerging national security issues.

Advancements in Healthcare.

Telemedicine, diagnostic testing, water purification, and heart and bone health are some of the ways in which what we learn in space has benefited people on Earth.

Today’s Blue Origin launch was uncrewed, future launches will carry astronauts beyond Low Earth Orbit to conduct more science experiments that will shape how we live in the future.?

Your Business: In Space

The InterAstra Institute is a globally leading organization focused on creating and advancing equitable access and opportunity for everyone in the business of space. And there’s much more to that than hiring scientists and training astronauts. Listen to my friend Che Bolden talk more about that on the InterAstra podcast “Your Business: In Space.”

Read more about today's historic launch in this story from Christian Davenport at the The Washington Post and even more details from Space.com.