Nearly 25 years after its inception, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is preparing to launch its first orbital rocket, aiming to enter the competitive launch market currently led by SpaceX.
The company plans to launch its massive rocket, New Glenn, before the year’s end, although an air traffic advisory suggests the launch could occur as early as January 6.
With pre-launch tests nearly complete and a five-year launch license recently granted by federal regulators, Blue Origin is close to liftoff. Last week, the company performed a successful hot fire test, and according to CEO David Limp, the final step is attaching the rocket’s payload fairing.
When launched, New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines will generate over 3.8 million pounds of thrust, propelling the 320-foot rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission will include testing technology for Blue Origin’s Blue Ring spacecraft, an orbital vehicle designed for transportation, logistics, and satellite servicing.
New Glenn and Blue Ring are part of Blue Origin’s broader efforts to compete in various sectors of the space industry. The company aims to rival not only SpaceX’s Falcon 9—which dominates national security and commercial satellite launches—but also others developing lunar landers, private space stations, and beyond.
Until now, Blue Origin has been best known for its New Shepard suborbital rocket, which briefly sends tourists and cargo to suborbital space. With New Glenn, the company plans to recover and reuse the booster up to 25 times, landing it vertically on a barge after each flight.
NASA had initially planned to launch twin Mars spacecraft on this maiden mission, but delays pushed their flight to a future New Glenn launch. Blue Origin has also secured deals with the Space Force, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and various commercial clients, solidifying its place in the growing space industry.
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