Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, will finally launch its first orbital-class rocket on Sunday, January 12, from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The three-hour launch window for the mission, called NG-1, opens at 1 a.m. EST (6 a.m. GMT). Coverage will begin approximately one hour prior to launch. You can watch the live stream on Blue Origin’s YouTube channel or on the company’s website.
The flight was originally scheduled for Friday, January 10, but the company announced at X that the launch would be delayed because the Atlantic Ocean was too rough to recover the boosters.
What you need to know about the startup
This first mission carries a test payload called Blue Ring Pathfinder. The aim is to test its flight and operational capabilities, as well as its ground systems, thanks to its on-board communication system, power systems and flight computer. The demonstration spacecraft is a prototype of the company’s Blue Ring platform, which will be able to deliver multiple payloads from other companies into orbit and provide logistics and operational services in space.
Total mission duration will be approximately six hours.
Blue Origin will also attempt to land the rocket’s first stage on a recovery ship in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. But this is a secondary goal. The main goal is simply to successfully launch New Glenn and certify the rocket to launch national security payloads.
A long way to the first release
The road to New Glenn’s first launch is long. Although the company has regularly launched a suborbital rocket and the New Shepard spacecraft since 2015, it has yet to launch a rocket capable of reaching orbit.
New Glenn was first announced in 2016 as a heavy-lift rocket. However, Blue Origin’s balancing of multiple priorities — from the Moon landing to the Orbital Reef that could replace the International Space Station — has caused significant delays in preparing New Glenn for launch.
Once operational, New Glenn will compete with other heavy-lift rockets such as SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and ULA’s Vulcan Centaur (also powered by Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines) for commercial, civilian and military contracts.