Blue Origin Postpones 320-Foot New Glenn Rocket Launch to January 12 Amid Sea Challenges

Jan 9, 2025, 01:25 AM

Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, has postponed the inaugural launch of its New Glenn rocket to no earlier than January 12, 2025, due to unfavorable sea conditions in the Atlantic where the booster is expected to land. The launch was originally scheduled for January 10 but has been rescheduled to open a three-hour window starting at 1 a.m. EST on Sunday. The New Glenn rocket, standing at 320 feet tall and powered by seven BE-4 engines, aims to reach orbit on its first flight, carrying the Blue Ring Pathfinder, a demonstrator for future orbital transfer vehicles. With a thrust of 3.9 million pounds at liftoff, the New Glenn is designed to be reusable, similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9. The successful launch of New Glenn could position Blue Origin as a contender in the heavy-lift launch sector, with potential applications for NASA's Artemis lunar missions and Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite constellation.