Blue Origin’s New Glenn Prepares for First Orbital Launch

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is set for its debut orbital launch, marking a major step for the space company in the competitive commercial space race.

The launch is scheduled for as early as Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1 a.m. (0500 GMT), with a backup on Friday, according to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory.

The rocket’s first mission, NG-1, will carry a prototype of Blue Ring, a spacecraft developed with the Department of Defense to deploy satellites.

It will remain aboard the rocket’s second stage for the six-hour flight.

This marks Blue Origin’s entry into the highly profitable orbital launch market, after years of successful suborbital flights with its New Shepard rocket.

Analysts emphasize the importance of orbital capabilities, as suborbital missions have limited payload capacity and commercial demand.

Blue Origin’s entry also intensifies the rivalry between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the heads of Blue Origin and SpaceX, respectively.

Musk’s SpaceX has already become a dominant player with its Falcon 9 rockets, widely used for commercial satellite launches, NASA missions, and crew transport to the International Space Station.

New Glenn shares the reusable first stage concept with Falcon 9, designed to land vertically on a ship at sea, with the recovery ship named “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance” highlighting the challenge of the task.

Standing at 320 feet (98 meters), New Glenn is taller than Falcon 9’s 230-foot height and can handle larger payloads.

New Glenn’s ability to transport more substantial payloads, combined with its clean liquid natural gas propulsion, positions it as a key player between Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX’s larger rocket.

Experts believe the new competition could lead to lower costs and more innovation in the space industry.