New Glenn Launch Delayed! Next Attempt: Nov 12

Hustler Words – Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has postponed the second launch of its New Glenn mega-rocket, initially slated for Sunday afternoon, citing adverse weather conditions, minor glitches with launch pad infrastructure, and the unexpected intrusion of a cruise ship into the designated flight trajectory.

The aerospace company announced late Sunday that it is now targeting Wednesday, November 12, for the second launch attempt. Despite the recent government shutdown and subsequent restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on space launches, Blue Origin confirmed via a post on X that it collaborated with the FAA to secure the rescheduled launch. The launch window is scheduled to open at 2:50 p.m. ET and will remain open until 4:17 p.m. ET.

This mission holds significant importance for Blue Origin as it continues to validate the full reusability capabilities of the New Glenn rocket. While the rocket successfully achieved orbit during its inaugural launch in January, the booster experienced an explosion prior to landing on a drone ship stationed in the ocean. This time, Blue Origin aims to achieve a successful booster landing for the first time.

Furthermore, this mission marks New Glenn’s inaugural commercial venture. The rocket is tasked with transporting NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft into space, where it will commence its mission to Mars. Additionally, New Glenn will carry a technology demonstrator for Viasat, contributing to another NASA project. Demonstrating New Glenn’s ability to safely and cost-effectively deliver payloads to space, largely attributed to the rocket’s reusability, is crucial for Blue Origin’s competitiveness against Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Blue Origin had initially planned the second launch earlier in the year but encountered several delays. The launch window on Sunday at Cape Canaveral, Florida, was originally scheduled to open at 2:45 p.m. ET, providing a window of approximately 90 minutes. However, concerns regarding weather and issues with launch pad equipment caused several postponements.

With the countdown clock reactivated just moments before the intended launch, a cruise ship unexpectedly entered the flight path, as reported during the broadcast. While the ship was anticipated to clear the area before the launch window closed at 4:15 p.m. ET, persistent weather concerns ultimately led to the decision to scrub the attempt.