Blue Origin's New Glenn Set for Inaugural Launch on January 12 from Cape Canaveral

Jan 11, 2025, 02:24 PM

Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, is preparing for the inaugural launch of its New Glenn rocket, scheduled for 1 a.m. ET on January 12 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The New Glenn, standing at 98 meters tall and powered by 7 BE-4 engines on the first stage and 2 BE-3U engines on the second stage, is designed to carry up to 45 tons to low Earth orbit and aims to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9. The maiden flight will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder, a prototype for Blue Origin's future multi-mission space mobility platform, to an apogee of 19,300 km. Blue Origin plans to attempt recovery of the first stage on a sea platform named Jacklyn, located 620 km downrange. The launch has a three-hour window and was delayed due to rough seas, but conditions are expected to improve. A successful launch would mark a significant milestone for Blue Origin, potentially allowing it to challenge SpaceX's dominance in the satellite launch market and support Amazon's Kuiper satellite constellation.