Blue Origin's 320-Foot New Glenn Launches Monday, Aims to Challenge SpaceX

Jan 11, 2025, 09:49 PM

After more than a decade of development, Blue Origin's heavy-lift reusable rocket, New Glenn, standing 320 feet tall and powered by seven BE-4 engines, is set for its inaugural launch from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Initially scheduled for January 10, the launch was postponed due to unfavorable sea conditions for booster recovery and is now targeted for no earlier than Monday, January 13, with a three-hour window opening at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC). The mission will carry Blue Origin's 'Blue Ring Pathfinder' spacecraft, a Defense Department-funded prototype satellite, into orbit. Blue Origin will also attempt to recover the rocket's first-stage booster by landing it on its ship 'Jacklyn' in the Atlantic Ocean. This launch marks a significant step for Jeff Bezos's company in challenging SpaceX's dominance in the commercial launch market.