Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space exploration company’s new rocket system, the New Glenn, faced an embarrassing setback on Monday morning when its scheduled launch from Florida’s Cape Canaveral was called off due to unspecified technical difficulties. The launch, which had been touted as a major milestone in the company’s accelerating 21st century space race, was just hours after Bezos dismissed speculation about his company being intimidated by Elon Musk.
Bezos had addressed concerns earlier on Sunday when he said that Amazon founder and CEO remains “very optimistic” about Blue Origin’s prospects. He emphasized the importance of continuing the lunar program and also expressed interest in sending a mission to Mars.
However, on Monday morning, technical issues were detected during the final minutes of the countdown, forcing the launch to be scrapped. The setback is not the first for the New Glenn rocket, which had suffered several technical-related delays prior to the failed launch.
A new launch date has yet to be announced by Blue Origin, but the company remains committed to its ambitious space exploration goals.
Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-botches-launch-after-he-shrugs-off-trump-musk-bromance-as-threat-to-space-race