Bezos' Blue Origin Delays First Launch of New Glenn Rocket -

On Monday, Blue Origin LLC announced the postponement of its first launch of the new flagship rocket to resolve an unspecified issue with the vehicle.

The company, which is supported by Jeff Bezos and looking to rival Elon Musk’s dominant SpaceX, repeatedly delayed its scheduled launch during a three-hour window in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company did not provide specific information regarding the next attempt to launch the New Glenn rocket.

“We’re pausing today’s launch attempt to investigate a vehicle subsystem issue that will extend beyond our launch window,” Blue Origin stated. “We’re assessing opportunities for our next launch attempt.”

A successful mission would place Blue Origin among a select few U.S. companies capable of launching satellites into orbit, positioning it to effectively compete with SpaceX’s dominance in the market.

The day before the launch attempt, coinciding with his 61st birthday, Bezos commented to Bloomberg News that the space sector could support “multiple winners.”

“New applications for space will drive demand for significant capacity,” Bezos noted.

“SpaceX will continue to flourish and succeed. Blue Origin will also achieve success. Additionally, there will be another company that hasn’t even been imagined yet, which will also prosper,” he added.

Bezos initially unveiled the New Glenn plans in 2016, although development had started before that, with the goal of launching before the decade was over.

Nonetheless, Blue Origin has encountered challenges due to a sluggish corporate culture and various hurdles, particularly concerning the development of the BE-4 engines manufactured in-house. These engines were completed well behind schedule but have since been successfully deployed in the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.

The New Glenn rocket is crucial to Blue Origin’s ambitious objectives in space, which involve launching satellites for commercial clients, NASA, and the Department of Defense.

According to Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp, Blue Origin aims to conduct six to eight New Glenn flights in 2025, as reported by Bloomberg.

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