Here’s how to watch Blue Origin’s first New Glenn launch
Blue Origins New Glenn rocket is ready to take off. After some weather-related delays over the weekend, the Space company owned by Jeff Bezos said the $2.5 billion reusable rocket, which has been in development for nearly 13 years, will do just that Goal The first launch will take place on Monday, January 13th at the earliest. The three-hour launch window begins at 1 a.m. ET. The webcast begins an hour before launch and you can watch New Glenn fly with Blue Origin website, X or the company YouTube channel.
The inaugural New Glenn (NG-1) mission will serve as the Space Force’s first national security certification flight, necessary to compete against such aircraft SpaceX for Department of Defense and national intelligence contracts. Its reusable first stage is designed for at least 25 flights. Blue Origin has several New Glenn vehicles in production.
Blue origin describes New Glenn as “our giant, reusable rocket, built for bigger things.” The “giant” part is apt: The rocket is over 320 feet (98 m) tall. The “bigger things” include the metaphorical (e.g. possible missions to Mars) and the literal: it can carry over 45 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 13 tons to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). In comparison: rival SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy can lift almost 64 tons to LEO orbit and almost 27 tons to GTO orbit.
On her maiden voyage, New Glenn will carry a prototype of the company’s multi-purpose Blue Ring Pathfinder. The ship is designed to transport, refuel and operate satellites and other spacecraft and can carry three tons of cargo into space. Friday’s launch will test Blue Ring’s key flight/ground systems and operational capabilities.
After New Glenn launches from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, its reusable first stage will land on a barge called Jacklyn floating several hundred miles away in the Atlantic Ocean.
New Glenn, named after pioneer astronaut John Glenn, has completed its first countdown dress rehearsal for launch on December 27th. After multiple countdown attempts over several hours, the rocket’s seven BE-4 engines ignited and fired for 24 seconds (13 seconds at 100 percent thrust), paving the way for Friday’s targeted launch. The rocket’s first flight was first planned for Octoberwith two NASA satellites heading to Mars, but the launch was canceled because it wouldn’t be ready by then.
