As expected, the FAA is requiring an investigation into Blue Origin’s New Glenn’s first stage failure during its descent towards an attempted landing in the Atlantic Ocean, and SpaceX’s Starship breakup over the Caribbean Seas. Both events occurred on January 16, 2025.
Space X’s Starship (L) and Blue Origin’s New Glenn (R) both had success full launches but faced challenges during Thursday’s flight tests. Images: Richard P Gallagher-FMN / Blue Origin
January 16th proved to be an emotional roller coaster for private space exploration. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX achieved notable successes tempered by huge challenges during their respective rocket launches from Florida and Texas.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket heads to orbit for the first time. Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN
Just after 2 AM on January 16, 2025, Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its first New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This inaugural flight marks Blue Origin’s entry into the heavy-lift launch vehicle market, positioning it as a competitor to established players like SpaceX and the SpaceX Starship.
Ghost Riders in the Sky logo. Photo credit: Firefly Aerospace
NASA’s latest Commercial Lunar Payload Program (CLPS) mission, “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” developed by Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, TX), was successfully launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Centers’s Launch Complex 39A in the early morning hours of January 15, 2025. This spacecraft, named Blue Ghost, is the first of three planned Ghost Riders spacecraft destined for lunar landings.
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center on January 15, 2025. Photo: Richard P. Gallagher / FMN
A SpaceX Falcon 9 roared off the launch pad at 1:11 AM EST this morning from Kennedy Space Center carrying two lunar landers into orbit and on their way to the moon.
The countdown clock outside of the KSC’s media center displays the next launch. Image by Richard P Gallagher/FMN
Cocoa, FL – January 14, 2025
Looking for something to see or do while in Florida this week? You’re in luck! This week is witnessing a flurry of space exploration activities at Cape Canaveral and KSC, with multiple launches and historic feats by private aerospace giants. The excitement began with SpaceX’s ongoing efforts to complete their Starlink constellation and will culminate in the much-anticipated launches of the Blue Ghost lunar lander, Blue Origin’s first New Glenn Heavy booster launch, and hopefully SpaceX’s Starship IFT-7.
SpaceX successfully launched the Starlink 12-4 mission from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida this morning. This mission adds 21 new Starlink satellites to the company’s ever growing internet constellation. 13 of those satellites launched to low earth orbit today have Direct to Cell capabilities.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn sits ready to launch on Pad 36 at CCSFS. Photo: Charles Boyer/FMN
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.
SpaceX’s Starship stands against a Texas sky in Boca Chica, TX . Photo- Richard Gallagher/FMN
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is actively investigating threats made against SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville, Texas, according to a report by the San Antonio Express-News. on January 3rd, 2025. The threats reportedly involve plans by several individuals to target the Starship rocket planned to be launched from at the facility.
The Mary Jackson Building is NASA’s headquarters, located in Washington DC – Photo: NASA
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed relocating NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, citing underutilization of the current facility and the strategic advantages of positioning the agency’s leadership at the nation’s busiest spaceport.
A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket launches from LC-40 at CCSFS in Florida to deliver a batch of Starlink satellites. Image by Richard P Gallagher / FMN
Los Angeles, CA — As the devastating wildfires continue to ravage California, leaving swathes of communities in darkness, disarray and without internet, a technological marvel is helping to restore service: Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service.
It’s Musk vs. Bezos in an epic Battle of the Billionaires. The competition between Musk and Bezos has been public and sometimes personal, with both taking jabs at each other’s technologies and strategies. The Musk-Bezos rivalry has not only pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in private spaceflight but has also revitalized public interest in space. Their companies have made space more accessible, reduced costs through reusability, and set ambitious goals for humanity’s future in space. While SpaceX has the lead in terms of operational experience and public visibility, Blue Origin’s methodical approach might yet prove equally impactful in the long term.
