Bezos’s Big Rocket Attempts Its First Launch

Update: January 10, 3:38 pm ET: All signs point to an early Sunday morning launch, with the three-hour launch window opening at 1:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, January 12 at 1:00 a.m. ET.

Update: January 9, 1:20 pm ET: Due to expected inclement weather on the ocean-based landing barge, New Glen’s inaugural launch has been delayed until Sunday, January 12, with a launch window opening at 1 p.m. ET.

The original article follows below.

Blue Origin is highly anticipated The New Glen Rocket is gearing up for its big debut. If all goes well with the rocket’s inaugural flight, it could create some competition for industry favorite SpaceX.

New Glenn is scheduled for liftoff during a three-hour launch window that opens at 1 a.m. ET on Friday, January 10. The rocket will launch from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A livestream of the launch will begin approximately one hour prior to liftoff at Blue Origins website. Third-party provider NASASpaceflight is also live streaming the launch, which you can watch below.

Blue Origin, founded by the world’s second-richest man, Jeff Bezos, first announced its $2.5 billion New Glen rocket nearly 10 years ago. The 320-foot-tall (98 m) rocket is designed to lift 45 tons into low Earth orbit and 13 tons into geostationary orbit.

New Glenn is partially reusable, with its first stage designed for 25 missions and powered by seven methane-burning BE-4 engines. By comparison, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy It is a partially reusable, heavy-lift rocket capable of carrying 63 metric tons to low Earth orbit and 26 metric tons to geostationary orbit. Both Falcon Heavy’s side booster and New Glenn’s first stage are designed to return to Earth for a controlled landing on a floating platform at sea.

For its first mission, the heavy-lift launch vehicle will carry Blue Origins Blue Ring PathfinderAn orbital platform referred to as a “space truck”. Blue Ring’s first flight will test its ground systems and operational capabilities as part of the DarkSky-1 (DS-1) mission, which is sponsored by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit. Blue Origin.

“We are excited to demonstrate Blue Ring’s advanced in-space operations on New Glenn’s inaugural mission,” Paul Ebertz, Blue Origin’s senior vice president of in-space systems, said in a statement. “The Blue Ring plays an important role in paving the way to space, and this mission is an important first step for the Blue Ring and enables dynamic and reactive operations that will greatly benefit our nation.”

Blue Ring Pathfinder integrated. Jacqueline is doing well. Obtained launch license. Here we go! https://t.co/CCOY8GEks8 pic.twitter.com/hjAL8Dmu3q

— Dave Limp (@Devil) January 7, 2025

The main objective of New Glenn’s first flight was to reach orbit on the first try. Blue Origin will also try to land its booster offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, but the booster’s name, “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” suggests the company is hopeful but perhaps not fully expecting its first attempt to succeed. . This is New Glenn’s first national security space launch certification flight, which could pave the way for the rocket to carry national security payloads on future missions.

Bezos’ big rocket debut could fuel his rivalry with his rocket billionaire nemesis, SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Blue Origin’s current rocket, New Shepard, is mainly used to launch space tourists on coastal flights to the edge of space. New Glenn, on the other hand, will officially put Blue Origin on the map in the orbital payload business.

SpaceX has had a remarkably heady start, making it an industry darling. Whether or not Blue Origin can catch on remains to be seen, but New Glenn’s first flight to the skies has a lot going for it.