Blue Origin Delays New Glenn Launch, Sets New Date for November 12
▼ Summary
– Blue Origin canceled Sunday’s New Glenn rocket launch due to weather concerns, minor launch pad issues, and a cruise ship in the flight path.
– The company rescheduled the launch attempt for Wednesday, November 12, with a launch window from 2:50 p.m. to 4:17 p.m. ET.
– This mission aims to achieve the first successful landing of the New Glenn booster, which exploded during its previous orbital flight.
– It is New Glenn’s first commercial mission, carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft to Mars and a Viasat tech demonstrator.
– Blue Origin delayed this launch multiple times and faced repeated postponements during Sunday’s window due to weather and equipment problems.
Blue Origin has postponed the second launch of its powerful New Glenn rocket, rescheduling it for Wednesday, November 12. The decision came after a combination of adverse weather conditions, minor technical issues with ground equipment, and the unexpected presence of a cruise ship in the designated flight safety zone forced a cancellation of Sunday’s attempt.
The company confirmed the new launch date late Sunday, noting that the upcoming window extends from 2:50 p.m. to 4:17 p.m. Eastern Time. This mission represents a critical step for Blue Origin as it seeks to validate the full reusability of its New Glenn launch system. During the rocket’s inaugural flight in January, the vehicle successfully reached orbit, but the booster stage was lost when it failed to land on a drone ship at sea. A successful booster recovery during this second flight is a primary objective for the company.
Adding to the mission’s significance, this will be New Glenn’s first commercial flight. The rocket is tasked with deploying NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft on its journey to study Mars. Also on board is a technology demonstrator for Viasat, which is associated with another NASA initiative. Demonstrating reliable and cost-effective payload delivery, largely enabled by rocket reusability, is essential for Blue Origin to effectively compete in the commercial launch market against rivals like SpaceX.
The path to this launch has seen multiple delays. Originally planned for earlier in the year, the second launch attempt on Sunday faced repeated holds. The launch window in Cape Canaveral, Florida, opened at 2:45 p.m. ET, but weather concerns and the minor pad equipment problems pushed the countdown back several times. Just minutes before a potential launch, a cruise ship was observed within the restricted flight path. Although the vessel was expected to clear the area before the window closed, lingering poor weather conditions ultimately led mission managers to call off the attempt for the day.
(Source: TechCrunch)
