Blue Origin postpones New Glenn’s first launch to January 12

Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin has postponed the inaugural launch of its New Glenn rocket to January 12, the day before SpaceX hopes to launch another Starship test flight.

According to Blue Origin’s team, the shift to a three-hour window opening at 0600 UTC on January 12 is due to unfavorable conditions in the Atlantic, where it hopes to land the first stage on a barge.

The landing isn’t the primary goal of the first New Glenn launch. Earlier today, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp described it as a “bonus,” but a shift of a few days to improve the chances of success seems sensible. The mission’s primary objective is for the much-delayed rocket to finally reach orbit.

SpaceX has been landing the first stage of its Falcon 9 booster on floating platforms for years, demonstrating that the technique is feasible and making what seemed almost impossible a few decades ago routine. However, it took a few Falcon 9 launches before the company managed its first landing on a platform at sea.

SpaceX’s latest rocket, the Starship Super Heavy, is set to launch on its seventh flight on January 13, the day after Blue Origin hopes to get the New Glenn off the ground. Rather than landing the Super Heavy booster on a floating platform, SpaceX intends to repeat the launch tower “chopsticks” catch it managed on the fifth flight, assuming no anomalies are detected and the mission’s Flight Director gives the go-ahead.

If the Flight Director does not give the command to attempt a catch, then the returning booster will be ditched in the Gulf of Mexico. The second stage, Starship, will be sent on a suborbital trajectory to the Indian Ocean regardless, during which it will demonstrate payload deployment. Starship will also feature technology aimed at vehicle reuse.

If all goes to plan, rocket enthusiasts are in for a treat. First, there could be the maiden launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, followed by a possible seventh test flight for SpaceX’s Starship. ®