Blue Origin Delays New Glenn Launch to November 12

Blue Origin Postpones New Glenn Launch

Blue Origin, the aerospace firm founded by Jeff Bezos, has delayed the second launch of its New Glenn mega-rocket. The postponement, initially scheduled for Sunday afternoon, stemmed from unfavorable weather conditions, minor issues detected with launchpad infrastructure, and the proximity of a cruise ship to the planned trajectory.

Rescheduled Launch Date

The company announced late Sunday its intention to retry the launch on Wednesday, November 12. Despite restrictions imposed on space launches by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) due to the recent government shutdown, Blue Origin collaborated with the FAA to secure approval for this second attempt.

The launch window is set to open at 2:50 p.m. ET and will remain available until 4:17 p.m. ET.

Significance of the Mission

This mission holds considerable importance for Blue Origin on multiple fronts.

Primarily, the company is focused on demonstrating the complete reusability capabilities of the New Glenn rocket. While the initial launch in January successfully achieved orbit, the booster stage was lost during a landing attempt on a drone ship.

Blue Origin aims to achieve a successful booster landing during this second flight.

First Commercial Payload

Furthermore, this marks the inaugural commercial mission for New Glenn. The rocket will transport NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft on its journey to Mars.

In addition to ESCAPADE, New Glenn is also carrying a technology demonstrator developed by Viasat, as part of another NASA-sponsored project.

Successfully and economically delivering payloads to space – a feat largely dependent on the rocket’s reusability – is vital for Blue Origin to effectively compete with SpaceX, led by Elon Musk.

Previous Delays and Sunday's Events

Blue Origin had originally targeted an earlier launch date, but faced several postponements. Sunday’s launch window, originating from Cape Canaveral, Florida, initially opened at 2:45 p.m. ET, providing a window of approximately 90 minutes.

Concerns regarding the weather and equipment issues led to multiple delays in the scheduled launch time.

Just as preparations were underway for a launch attempt, a cruise ship entered the designated flight path. Although the vessel was anticipated to clear the area before the window closed at 4:15 p.m. ET, persistent weather concerns ultimately prompted the company to call off the attempt.