Blue Origin

Ars Technica reports that Blue Origin may conduct a flight test of its reusable New Shepard rockets skyward next month. It’s been just over a year since the catastrophic failure of its NS-23 mission, when its uncrewed capsule safely ejected as the rocket exploded.

As Ars writes, “two sources familiar with the company’s manifest” say if the “tentative plans” go well, it will conduct a crewed flight in mid-February.

The New York Times reports that the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, FBI, and Air Force have issued a “broad warning” to firms like SpaceX and Blue Origin saying to look out for foreign actors, like Chinese and Russian intelligence agencies, who they believe are trying to infiltrate their networks and steal data.

The report notes that in 2020, the United Launch Alliance said a Chinese firm attempted to infiltrate its supply chain, and last year the Russian military reportedly hacked into Viasat satellites.