Bezos’ Blue Origin delays debut launch of latest Glenn rocket

Investing.com — Blue Origin postponed the debut launch of its New Glenn rocket on Monday resulting from “a number of anomalies” encountered through the remaining levels of the countdown.

The mission, which goals to ascertain the corporate as a competitor within the satellite tv for pc launch market towards SpaceX, is now delayed by no less than in the future, with the timeline prone to lengthen additional as engineers tackle the difficulty.

Towering 30 tales excessive, the partially reusable New Glenn rocket had been ready for liftoff at Cape Canaveral Area Pressure Station. Initially scheduled for 1:00 am ET (0600 GMT), the rocket was loaded with methane and liquid oxygen propellants. Nevertheless, the launch time was repeatedly pushed again late within the countdown, nearing the tip of the launch window at 4:00 am.

A spokeswoman on Blue Origin’s stay feed defined that mission groups had been investigating “a number of anomalies.”

“We’re standing down on at present’s launch try to troubleshoot a car subsystem difficulty that can take us past our launch window. We’re reviewing alternatives for our subsequent launch try,” Blue Origin stated in a press release.

Whereas the minimal delay is 24 hours, the launch is anticipated to be postponed longer because the staff works to resolve the problems recognized throughout this important mission part.

This inaugural flight marks the fruits of over a decade of growth and billions of {dollars} in funding. If profitable, the mission will characteristic an bold try to get well the rocket’s first-stage booster by touchdown it on a barge within the Atlantic Ocean roughly 10 minutes after liftoff, whereas the second stage continues its journey to orbit.

“The factor we’re most nervous about is the booster touchdown,” stated Jeff Bezos, the corporate’s founder, in a pre-launch interview with Reuters. “Clearly on a primary flight you may have an anomaly at any mission part, so something may occur.”

Attaining the rocket’s supposed orbit on its first try would signify a big milestone within the house trade.

“If we may try this, that may be an awesome success,” Bezos added. “Touchdown the booster can be icing on the cake.”

The New Glenn rocket boasts greater than double the facility of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and already has a considerable backlog of buyer launch contracts valued within the billions of {dollars}.