Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin referred to as off the launch of its New Glenn rocket after “a couple of anomalies” through the mission countdown on Monday, suspending by at the very least a day an inaugural try to succeed in orbit and compete with SpaceX within the satellite tv for pc launch market.
Standing 30 storeys tall, the partially reusable New Glenn launcher sat on Blue Origin’s launchpad on the Cape Canaveral Area Power Station, prepared for a liftoff that was initially scheduled for 1am native time (8am SAST) after being loaded with methane and liquid oxygen propellants.
However late within the countdown, Blue Origin repeatedly pushed again the liftoff time, inching nearer to the tip of New Glenn’s launch window at 4am. A spokeswoman on an organization dwell feed stated mission groups had been inspecting “a couple of anomalies”.
“We’re standing down on at this time’s launch try and troubleshoot a automobile subsystem problem that may take us past our launch window,” Blue Origin stated in an announcement. “We’re reviewing alternatives for our subsequent launch try.”
The delay may very well be at the very least 24 hours however will possible last more as the corporate examines the snag for the high-risk, high-stakes mission.
The fruits of a decade-long, multibillion-dollar improvement journey, the flight, each time it takes off, will embody an try and land New Glenn’s first stage booster on a sea-faring barge within the Atlantic Ocean 10 minutes after liftoff, whereas the rocket’s second stage continues in the direction of orbit.
“The factor we’re most nervous about is the booster touchdown,” Bezos, who based Blue Origin in 2000, stated in a pre-launch interview. “Clearly on a primary flight you would have an anomaly at any mission part, so something may occur.”
Blue Ring prototype
Secured inside New Glenn’s payload bay is the primary prototype of Blue Origin’s Blue Ring automobile, a manoeuvrable spacecraft the corporate plans to promote to the Pentagon and business clients for nationwide safety and satellite tv for pc servicing missions.
Getting the spacecraft to its meant orbit on an inaugural rocket launch can be a uncommon achievement for an area firm. “If we may try this, that might be a terrific success,” Bezos stated. “Touchdown the booster can be icing on the cake.”
The event of New Glenn has spanned three Blue Origin CEOs and confronted quite a few delays as Elon Musk’s SpaceX grew into an business juggernaut with its reusable Falcon 9, the world’s most energetic rocket.
Learn: Blue Origin names former Amazon government as CEO
Bezos in late 2023 moved to hurry issues up at Blue Origin, prioritising the event of New Glenn and its BE-4 engines. He named Dave Limp, an Amazon veteran, as CEO, who staff say launched a way of urgency to compete with SpaceX.
New Glenn is greater than twice as highly effective as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and has dozens of buyer launch contracts collectively value billions of {dollars} lined up. — Joey Roulette, (c) 2025 Reuters
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