Blue Origin has pushed back the launch of its New Glenn rocket from Tuesday to Thursday, January 16, marking another delay in its bid to compete with SpaceX in the satellite launch market. The company initially called off its first scheduled launch on Monday due to a technical issue.
The new launch window opens at 1 a.m. EST on Thursday, according to Blue Origin’s post on X. The three-hour launch period is seen as an opportunity for the rocket to reach orbit and secure contracts worth billions of dollars.
Developed over three CEOs, New Glenn boasts more than twice the power of SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket. Its first stage booster aims to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean just 10 minutes after liftoff, while the second stage heads towards orbit.
Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos acknowledged the risks involved with the launch, stating that a successful landing is crucial. “Clearly on a first flight you could have an anomaly at any mission phase, so anything could happen,” he said in a pre-launch interview.
Source: https://www.inc.com/reuters/blue-origin-delays-new-glenn-rocket-launch-again/91107098