Blue Origin's 321-Foot New Glenn Gets FAA License and Fires Seven Engines Ahead of January 2025 Launch

Dec 28, 2024, 12:49 AM

Blue Origin has received a Part 450 commercial space launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its 321-foot-tall New Glenn rocket. The license, valid for five years, authorizes Blue Origin to conduct orbital missions from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with the reusable first stage landing on a barge named 'Jacklyn' in the Atlantic Ocean. On December 27, 2024, at 7:47 pm EST, Blue Origin successfully conducted a static fire test of the fully integrated New Glenn launch vehicle at Launch Complex 36. The rocket's seven BE-4 engines, each producing 3.96 gigawatts of power, fired for 24 seconds, including 13 seconds at 100% thrust, demonstrating the vehicle's autogenous pressurization system. This successful test paves the way for the rocket's inaugural flight, anticipated no earlier than January 6, 2025.