Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin postpones maiden launch of New Glenn rocket

The New Glenn rocket, towering at 320 feet (98 meters), represents a significant step for Blue Origin as it aims to establish itself in the competitive space launch market.

In Short

• The New Glenn rocket towers at 320 feet (98 meters)
• The rocket features a reusable first stage designed to return to Earth
• It will land on a barge named Jacklyn, after Jeff Bezos' mother.

Blue Origin has officially postponed the inaugural launch of its New Glenn reusable launch vehicle to January 12, 2025, due to adverse weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean.

The launch, originally scheduled for January 10, was delayed because of high sea states affecting the planned landing area for the rocket's booster.

In a statement posted on social media, Blue Origin explained, “We’re shifting our NG-1 launch date to no earlier than January 12 due to a high sea state in the Atlantic where we hope to land our booster.” The company emphasized that the three-hour launch window will remain unchanged, opening at the same time on the new date.

The New Glenn rocket, towering at 320 feet (98 meters), represents a significant step for Blue Origin as it aims to establish itself in the competitive space launch market.

The rocket features a reusable first stage designed to return to Earth and land on a barge named Jacklyn, after Jeff Bezos' mother. Successfully landing the booster is a critical aspect of Blue Origin's strategy to promote reusability and reduce costs in space travel.

This inaugural mission, designated NG-1, will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload as part of a national security space launch certification flight.

Company officials have expressed optimism about the mission despite the challenges associated with first launches, which often come with lower success expectations due to untested components.

As anticipation builds for the revised launch date, Blue Origin plans to stream the countdown live on its website. The company remains committed to learning from each flight and refining its technology for future missions in what promises to be an exciting era for commercial space exploration.