Blue Origin will try to launch the massive New Glenn rocket again on Tuesday, a day after calling off the highly-anticipated launch on Monday due to technical issues.
Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, faced another hurdle in its quest to launch the rocket on Monday due to ice accumulation in a purge line essential to the rocket’s hydraulic systems. The 320-foot-tall rocket was supposed to carry a prototype satellite, marking a significant milestone for the company.
Tuesday has been identified as the next possible launch date, but weather forecasts predict thick clouds and strong winds at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, potentially causing further delays.
The test flight had already been postponed earlier due to rough seas, which posed a risk to the planned recovery of the rocket’s first-stage booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic.
The New Glenn is said to be a key step in Bezos’ 25-year vision for advancing human spaceflight and expanding access to orbit. Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn is five times taller than Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which is used for short suborbital trips.
Jeff Bezos himself participated in Monday’s countdown from Mission Control near Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center. Speaking to his team over the weekend, Bezos expressed determination, saying, “We’re going to pick ourselves up and keep going.”
Despite delays, Blue Origin aims to compete with Elon Musk-owned SpaceX by showcasing New Glenn’s capabilities, including its partially reusable design and ability to carry heavier payloads than SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
