Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin has postponed the launch of its New Glenn rocket due to unfavorable weather conditions in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Rain and a ground system issue caused delays that were followed by cumulus cloud cover as the 88-minute launch window closed, leaving managers with the only option of pushing back the rocket’s planned second mission. This comes during a time of increasing competition between Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Blue Origin said on Sunday that it will take another go at launching New Glenn’s second mission on Wednesday, Nov. 12. While the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has announced restrictions on space launches late last week due to the government shutdown, Blue Origin has announced via X that it worked with the FAA to make the second attempt happen. The company said that it was planning for another attempt as soon as Wednesday within the window of 2:50 p.m. to 4:17 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
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When it finally launches, the 322-feet New Glenn rocket has the task of sending NASA’s Escapade twin spacecraft to Mars. The rocket’s launch will also serve as a test to see whether it can achieve booster recovery, which would prove a technical breakthrough for the company if successful.
New Glenn’s inaugural flight in January was regarded a success as its payload achieved orbit and successfully performed tests. However, its first-stage booster, which was meant to be reusable, did not stick its landing on a platform in the Atlantic, and instead, was lost during descent. In its second effort, Blue Origin will try once again to recover the booster stage. So far, only SpaceX managed to achieve that feat.
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Blue Origin’s New Glenn has been named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. It is a powerful two-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle manufactured by Blue Origin. The New Glenn spacecraft is not to be confused with Blue Origin’s much smaller New Shepard rocket that the company launches from West Texas on brief trips taking paying passengers high above Earth’s atmosphere. The rocket stands at 322 feet and is built to be reusable, with the first stage designed to last for at least 25 flights, according to Blue Origin. The booster used for the upcoming spaceflight is nicknamed Never Tell Me the Odds.
Blue Origin envisions that the New Glenn spacecraft would be capable of shuttling Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites to orbit and undertaking other missions for paying customers, including NASA and telecommunications providers.