Blue Origin announces launch of its New Glenn rocket: Here is what you need to know
Update: Around 3 a.m. Monday, Blue Origin scrubbed its New Glenn launch attempt to “troubleshoot a vehicle subsystem issue,” the company said on X. Blue Origin is now targeting a launch date of no earlier than Thursday, Jan. 16.
Blue Origin announced that it will launch its first New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Sunday.
According to a press release from the company, owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, a three-hour launch window would be opened between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. ET on Sunday, January 12.
The launch is scheduled to take place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it,” Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn said. “But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”
The company says the payload for the launch is the Blue Ring Pathfinder, Blue Origin says the flight will test its “core flight, ground systems, and operational capabilities as part of the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Orbital Logistics prototype effort.”
As part of the launch, Blue Origin hopes to land the booster offshore in the Atlantic.
Space: Uncrewed lunar missions and 1st private space station among 2025 space launches
More on Blue Origin launches
Blue Origin completed a launch and landing of an uncrewed flight test back in October for its New Shepard spacecraft. The test marked the debut of the company's NS-27 spacecraft designed for passengers.
The launches by Blue Origin come amid the continued heated commercial space race between billionaire-owned companies that include not only Blue Origin but competitors like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.
Contributing: Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue Origin New Glenn rocket: What you need to know about the launch
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