Blue Origin Reschedules New Glenn Debut After Technical Issues

Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, Blue Origin, rescheduled the long-awaited debut launch of its massive New Glenn rocket from Monday to Thursday, citing technical issues with a vehicle subsystem.

The launch, originally scheduled for Friday, Jan. 10, was pushed back several times due to unfavorable weather conditions. It was finally set for a launch window beginning at 1 a.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 13, from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. After Monday’s early morning cancelation, Blue Origin later announced another launch window opportunity, starting from 1 a.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 16.

This latest scrub, due to ice forming in a purge line on an auxiliary power unit that powers some of the hydraulic systems, marked another delay in Blue Origin’s push to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the commercial satellite market.

Introducing New Glenn

The New Glenn rocket, standing 320 feet tall and named after John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth, represents Blue Origin's ambitious entry into the orbital satellite deployment sector. The key word here is orbital – New Glenn will be Blue Origin’s first orbital vehicle, different from its suborbital New Shepherd launches.

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The cancellation adds to the challenges facing the company as it seeks to establish itself as a key player in an industry dominated by SpaceX.

The rocket’s first stage, designed to be reusable and land on a barge for refurbishment, had already faced delays due to rough seas, which could have hindered its recovery. The inaugural flight was to carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder, a spacecraft designed to maneuver between orbits, host payloads and deploy them at various locations.

The Orbital Market Matures

Blue Origin has positioned the New Glenn as an environmentally and economically efficient alternative to traditional rockets, thanks to its reusable first stage. The company envisions its efforts contributing to a long-term goal of moving heavy-polluting industries off Earth to preserve the planet.

While Blue Origin works to resolve the technical issues, SpaceX is forging ahead. A Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral early Tuesday morning, highlighting the intense competition between the two space exploration giants.

As for whether New Glenn will take flight later this week, only time – and the weather forecast – will tell. Stay tuned for future stories sharing Blue Origin’s progress with this vehicle and other launches.