Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is prepared for liftoff. After some weather-related delays over the weekend, the Jeff Bezos-owned house firm mentioned that the $2.5 billion reusable rocket, which has been in growth for almost 13 years, will goal its first launch no sooner than Monday, January 13. Its three-hour launch window kicks off at 1AM ET. The webcast will start an hour earlier than launch, and you’ll watch New Glenn take flight on Blue Origin’s web site, X or the corporate’s YouTube channel.
New Glenn’s inaugural mission (NG-1) will function its first Area Drive nationwide safety certification flight, essential to compete in opposition to the likes of SpaceX for Division of Protection and nationwide intelligence contracts. Its reusable first stage is designed for not less than 25 flights. Blue Origin has a number of New Glenn autos in manufacturing.
Blue Origin describes New Glenn as “our giant, reusable rocket built for bigger things.” The “giant” bit is apt: The rocket stands over 320 ft (98 m) excessive. As for its “bigger things,” that features the metaphorical (like potential missions to Mars) and literal: It could actually carry over 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) and 13 to geostationary switch orbit (GTO). By comparability, rival SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy can raise almost 64 metric tons to LEO and nearly 27 to GTO orbit.
On its maiden voyage, New Glenn will carry a prototype of the corporate’s multipurpose Blue Ring Pathfinder. The craft is designed to move, refuel and host satellites and different spacecraft and might carry three metric tons of cargo into house. Friday’s launch will take a look at Blue Ring’s core flight / floor methods and operational capabilities.
After New Glenn lifts off from Launch Advanced 36 in Cape Canaveral, its reusable first stage will land on a barge, “Jacklyn,” floating a number of hundred miles away within the Atlantic Ocean.
New Glenn, named after pioneering astronaut John Glenn, accomplished its first launch countdown gown rehearsal on December 27. After a number of countdown makes an attempt over just a few hours, the rocket’s seven BE-4 engines ignited and fired for twenty-four seconds (spending 13 seconds at one hundred pc thrust), paving the best way for Friday’s focused launch. The rocket’s first flight was initially slated for October, carrying two Mars-bound NASA satellites, however the launch was scrapped as a result of it wouldn’t be prepared by then.
