Blue Origin’s inaugural launch of its New Glenn rocket has been rescheduled to Monday, January 13, 2025, at 1:00 AM Eastern Time due to unfavorable sea conditions in the Atlantic Ocean. Waves at Stage 1’s landing site were expected to calm from 10-foot swells to more acceptable levels tomorrow.
The company aims to recover the rocket’s first-stage booster by landing it on an offshore barge, which requires calm seas for safe retrieval.
The New Glenn rocket, standing at 320 feet tall, is designed to transport cargo, satellites, and eventually crewed missions into space. Named after astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, the rocket features a reusable first stage powered by seven BE-4 engines and a disposable upper stage capable of carrying substantial payloads.
This maiden flight will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder, a payload equipped with a communications array, power system, and flight computer. The mission will test the company’s Blue Ring spacecraft, intended to support future missions with refueling, data relay, and cloud computing capabilities.
The launch is now scheduled from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with a three-hour window opening at 1:00 AM ET on January 13. Blue Origin plans to stream the event live on its website and YouTube channel, providing viewers with real-time coverage of this significant milestone in the company’s pursuit of advancing space exploration technologies.
Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
