New Glenn NG-1 standing tall at LC-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station earlier this year. In the foreground is the lightkeeper’s house at the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse.
Blue Origin has delayed the launch of its second New Glenn rocket to no earlier than Sept. 29. After flying a successful mission in January, Blue had stated that the target date for NG-2 was first in “late spring,” and later adjusted to NET August 15.
New Glenn’s second mission is NET September 29. We have been working closely with @NASA on the timeline and look forward to flying ESCAPADE to Mars. You’ll start seeing some exciting things happening at the pad down in Florida very soon.
The prime mission for the launch is NASA’s ESCAPADE mission. New Glenn will carry two small satellites tasked with studying the Martian magnetosphere, and will be New Glenn’s first interplanetary mission and the first multi-spacecraft orbital science mission aimed at Mars. NG-2 will also carry a technology demonstration payload for ViaSat, in support of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate’s Communications Services Project.
A tertiary goal for this mission will be a successful landing of the New Glenn first stage on the company’s landing platform, which will be stationed downrange offshore in the Atlantic. Blue plans to fly as many as 25 missions with each booster, targeting significant cost reduction and operational efficiency for each flight, and is considered to be a necessity for the long-term financial viability of the company.
Blue Origin’s recovery ship, Jacklyn, while docked in Port Canaveral.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Finally, a successful second flight will serve as another technology demonstration for future customers, namely the Department of Defense, NASA and Amazon. Blue was awarded National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 2 heavy-lift provider status, and is a $2.4 billion contract for the company. Amazon has also contracted New Glenn for at least 12 launches of its Project Kuiper satellites, and Blue Origin itself is building out its first lunar lander, Blue Moon Mk1, part of its lunar lander services contract with NASA and the Artemis Program. That spacecraft will need a ride on New Glenn as well.
Whether Blue launches in September remains to be seen. Delays in new launch systems are hardly uncommon, and on its second flight, Blue Origin has a full plate payload and operations-wise. To successfully achieve each objective, the company will be sure to double, triple, quadruple check every component and procedure leading up to the launch, and then they’ll probably check again after that just to be sure. That takes time, and if any issues are found, it will take time to resolve them. The old axiom of “fly only when you’re ready” still applies.
So, as always, stay tuned. There’s more to come.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn on its debut launch in January. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Blue Origin’s CEO, Dave Limp, announced today that the second launch of the company’s New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral will be NET August 15, 2025.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn on its debut launch in January. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The mission will have detailed objectives that go beyond mere repetition of its maiden voyage, NG-1. Flight 2 will blend hardware validation with customer service mandates and data acquisition goals — a step toward establishing New Glenn as a frequent-operational vehicle in Earth’s orbit and beyond. It has not been explicitly stated that NG-2 will carry NASA’s ESCAPADE Martian satellites or Blue’s own Blue Moon MK-1 lander but those payloads are possibility.
via X.com
At the center of the NG-2 mission plan is the booster’s recovery. During the January 16 first flight of New Glenn, the seven-engine BE-4-powered first stage demonstrated a nominal ascent, clearing the vehicle to orbital insertion, but it failed to land on its barge deck.
The booster’s descent performance fell short of expectations due to uneven engine tank pressures during a planned restart, and the vehicle was lost during reentry. Blue Origin and the Federal Aviation Administration completed an investigation into the event in March, identifying seven corrective actions tied to propellant management and engine bleed systems to ensure successful recovery in subsequent flights.
Blue Origin’s recovery ship, Jacklyn, while docked in Port Canaveral.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
For Flight 2, Blue Origin intends to validate these fixes and aim for a controlled return and landing on its seagoing platform. Achieving that objective would significantly reduce launch costs and move New Glenn closer to reusability goals — an explicit part of its operational profile.
A second area of focus for Flight 2 is the rocket’s capacity to carry and service client payloads. External contracts from customers such as Amazon’s Kuiper constellation and NASA’s ESCAPADE mission require demonstrated reliability. New Glenn rocket was given NASA Category 1 Certification after NG-1. This classification signifies that the New Glenn is qualified to launch high-risk tolerance missions (Class D). Class D missions typically involve lower priority payloads with medium to low complexity.
Originally manifested on Flight 1, ESCAPADE was reassigned due to integration delays. NASA’s fiscal 2026 budget text indicates it is targeting Flight 2 for launch readiness in quarter four of fiscal 2025 — that is, July through September 2025. That would align with NG-2.
Artist’s rendering of ESCAPADE in orbit over Mars Graphic: NASA
Equally vital is a robust performance of the second stage, known as GS2. That upper stage planned for NG-2 completed a successful hot-fire test in late April, executed at Blue Origin’s facility at their Cape Canaveral’s LC-36 launch complex. The burn, lasting several minutes, engaged the pair of BE-3U engines in conditions representative of vacuum ignition. Flight 2 will aim to repeat and refine this performance, establishing fidelity of orbital insertion timing, orbital stability, and upper-stage restart logic. Any inconsistencies during prolonged burns could compromise payload delivery, a risk Blue Origin must manage to satisfy future clients.
Additional objectives include flight characteristics during ascent. First-stage performance under full-load ascent needs to be validated post investigation, including thrust vector control, separation dynamics, and second‑stage ignition timing. These aspects conducted within uncrewed mission parameters serve to expand the company’s internal flight data metrics and enable iterative design refinement.
New Glenn’s BE-4 engines in flight. Blue Origin plans to test the engine’s restart capabilities on NG-2
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
A technical objective of note is Stage 2 restart capability. Flight 1 employed two burns to reach medium earth orbit, with the second occurring about one hour after liftoff. Precise execution of multiple back-to-back burns and control of stage stability across long coast periods will be revisited during Flight 2. Such activity must support more complex orbital insertions or deployments, including geostationary transfer and interplanetary trajectories.
Data gathering is another significant objective for Flight 2. The maiden flight returned telemetry not only from in-flight propulsion and stage performance, but also from the Blue Ring Pathfinder spacecraft, which tested payload-hosting capabilities. Extended duration performance, thermal conditions, avionics interactions, and stage-to-payload stability are all expected to see additional refinement during the second flight. All of these data sets feed directly into Blue Origin’s customer engagement strategy and future flight manifesting. Moreover, the data obtained from the second flight of New Glenn was further inform Blue Origin’s engineers as they refine New Glenn and its operation.
Flight 2 will follow the conclusion of necessary FAA review and re-certification processes. That review probed the booster failure and mandated system updates. Aviation regulators and technical backup teams have signaled that New Glenn is green-lighted to resume flights, provided all identified corrective steps have been applied.
From a strategic perspective, Flight 2 serves as an audition for national security missions in addition to NASA flights. New Glenn received certification for National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2, positioning the rocket for critical Department of Defense and NRO contracts. Demonstrating reliability in payload delivery booster recovery will determine whether New Glenn becomes a fixture in U.S. strategic payload delivery. Booster performance, booster recovery as well as second stage performance and on-orbit reliability will demonstrate the company’s capabilities.
Timing
One must remain mindful of real-world variables: the weather at Cape Canaveral, barge positioning in the Atlantic, integration timelines for customer payloads, and operational readiness all influence the date. While the August 15th date is the prime target for the flight, Blue Origin will hold as long as needed to preserve mission integrity. The old adage applies here: “Fly when ready. Don’t fly until you are ready.”
Blue Origin New Glenn on the launch mount at LC-36. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville.
What’s At Stake?
Flight 2, then, is a multifaceted test: a demonstration of recovery, payload delivery, propulsion resilience, and market viability. Beyond the hardware itself, the logistical and regulatory choreography behind the scene also comes under real-world assessment. Each objective supports a broader ambition to match cadence, reliability, and cost-competitiveness with established launch providers.
Should Flight 2 proceed as scripted, Blue Origin expects to build momentum toward the next six to eight missions planned through 2026. Those future missions include dual-launch capabilities, potential crewed flight compatibility, and more specialized interplanetary trajectories. But all of that depends on fixing what didn’t stick in Flight 1 and proving that New Glenn can operate reliably and repeatedly.
At the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium meeting at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory’s Kossiakoff Center in Laurel, Maryland, Blue Origin’s Senior Vice President of Lunar Permanence, John Couluris, said today that the company plans to land the first “Mark 1” version of its Blue Moon lander “this year.”
The plan seems bold for a company with one orbital launch on its resume, with a second New Glenn flight ostensibly planned for next month. Some signs of that second launch have been seen at Cape Canaveral, for example, the second stage planned for that launch was hot-fired at the company’s facility at Launch Complex 36.
Blue Origin NG-1 launch. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The payload for the second launch of New Glenn is currently slated to fly NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE), a dual-spacecraft mission to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic environment and how this interaction drives the planet’s atmospheric escape.
The EscaPADE mission implies that any Blue Moon lander flight would come on a third New Glenn flight, sometime in the second half of the year. That said, spaceflight schedules and timelines are often extended as unforeseen problems slow the given project. New Glenn itself is a perfect example, as it came several years later than originally planned due to roadblocks and challenges that arose in the design and assembly of the rocket.
At the same time, Couluris has consistently stated that the Blue Moon lander mission would come sooner rather than later. “This lander, we’re expecting to land on the moon between 12 to 16 months from today,” he said in March in an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes. “That is what our team is aiming towards.”
The Mark 1 lander is a test mission, according to Blue Origin. “The Pathfinder Mission (MK1-SN001) will be a demonstration mission, with MK1-SN002 and beyond available to payload customers. MK1-SN001 proves out critical systems, including the BE-7 engine, cryogenic fluid power and propulsions systems, avionics, continuous downlink communications, and precision landing within 100 m site accuracy, prior to the uncrewed NASA Human Landing System mission for the Artemis program.”
Space X’s Starship (L) and Blue Origin’s New Glenn (R) both had success ful launches but faced challenges during Thursday’s flight tests. Images: Richard P Gallagher / FMN and Blue Origin
Yesterday proved to be an emotional roller coaster for private space exploration. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX achieved notable successes tempered by huge challenges during their respective rocket launches from Florida and Texas. Keeping in mind that both launches were considered test flights, it’s fair to say that both companies have a lot to celebrate and also a lot to work on to perfect their respective flight systems.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn
Blue Origin celebrated a major achievement as its New Glenn rocket, named after the pioneering astronaut John Glenn, successfully reached orbit during its debut flight. Launched from Launch Complex 36 at 2:03 AM EST from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the mission was Blue Origin’s first to orbit, a critical step for the company as it joins the competition for government and commercial customers.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn debut launch lifts off from Cape Canaveral on January 16, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
“We hit our key, critical, number-one objective, we got to orbit safely,” announced Blue Origin VP Ariane Cornell during a company livestream, signifying the mission’s primary goal had been met. However, the joy was somewhat muted as the booster, named “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” failed to land on the recovery vessel “Jacklyn” in the Atlantic Ocean.
“We may very well have lost the booster,” a company commentator acknowledged as telemetry and video froze during descent on New Glenn’s first stage. That assessment proved to be true, and the booster, nicknamed “So You’re Telling Me There’s A Chance” was lost.
Dave Limp, Blue Origin CEO Photo: Amazon.com
Blue Origin has not officially named a specific failure that led to the booster’s loss, but launch viewers noted that a loss of one of the seven BE-4 engines seemed to occur moments before the telemetry from the vehicle caused the live feed to be lost permanently.
Despite this setback, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp emphasized learning from the anomalies yesterday, stating, “We knew landing our booster … on the first try was an ambitious goal. We’ll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring.”
Despite the loss of the booster, the launch of New Glenn and its successfully orbiting its payload. represents Blue Origin’s entry into the orbital launch market, and could change the current dynamics the launch services market, which is currently dominated by SpaceX.
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7
Later on Thursday, in Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX conducted the seventh test flight of its Starship.
The test was a mix of triumph and failure — the Super Heavy booster flew nominally, and successfully returned to its launch site, where it was caught by the “chopsticks” of the launch tower.
The catch brings SpaceX to a 2-1 record on catch attempts following a successful return during the company’s IFT-5 mission and aborted attempt during IFT-6 with the booster being directed to land offshore.
Later in the flight, things were not quite so rosy. After a successfully staging, igniting its engines and flying nominally for a time, there was a sudden failure with a total loss of the data.
SpaceX commentators were measured as they noted the loss of telemetry and finally the loss of the vehicle. At no point did they speculate past the information they had on hand, and they delivered the bad news when they had it.
Later, Elon Musk was offered an explanation of events on X: “Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity,” he said.
“Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month.”
That launch may be delayed longer than Musk or SpaceX would like.
As a result of the failure, the FAA diverted air traffic from the area for a short time following the mishap and the re-entry of debris was clearly visible in the Turks and Caicos, a British Overseas Department southwest of The Bahamas. There are reports of debris landing in
Industry experts believe the breakup will likely trigger another FAA safety investigation with the Starship vehicle being grounded while it is conducted, potentially delaying future launches of Starship until a mishap report with acceptable remediations is submitted. That is standard procedure for experimental flight.
SpaceX's Starship Breaks Up In Space After Launch, Forces Flights To DivertA SpaceX Starship prototype failed in space minutes after launching from Texas, forcing airline flights over the Gulf of Mexico to alter course. pic.twitter.com/SM8JfUIGCp
Blue Origin’s failure was within the formal area of exclusion for the vehicle during its flight and subsequent landing zone, so it is possible that the FAA may waive an investigation.
In the case of SpaceX, with debris overflying a populated area and with the FAA temporarily requiring airlines to reroute their flights to avoid Starship debris. While SpaceX’s vehicle may also have failed within its designated flight corridor, those factors may lead to a required mishap investigation, or it may not.
How this will affect the Artemis Project — Starship is planned to be used as the Human Landing System for lunar excursions is unknown at this time.
Talk of Titusville has reached out to the FAA asking if they will require a formal investigation for either or both flights. We will pass along that information when it is made available.
Despite the booster’s failure to land, Blue Origin’s successful orbit with New Glenn was deemed a success and that has opened new avenues for future missions, including NASA’s ESCAPADE to Mars and Amazon’s Kuiper constellation. According to Blue Origin, that next flight could come late in Q1 or in early Q2 of 2025.
As for SpaceX, the partial success with the Starship Flight 7 test flight was a good news/bad news situation. The company recovered Stage 1 with aplomb but it is clear that improvements will be required for the Starship vehicle prior to flying again.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rises off of the launch pad on its debut flight on January 16, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
In a milestone for space exploration and commercial spaceflight, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 36 at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. The historic maiden flight marked a significant step forward for the company, as it positions itself as a key player in the rapidly growing space industry.
At 2:03 a.m. EST, the 320-foot-tall New Glenn finally roared to life after two holds and was propelled by seven Blue Origin BE-4 engines fueled by liquid oxygen and methane.
Spectators crowded the beaches and riverfront to witness the spectacle, as the rocket ascended gracefully into a cloudy sky obscuring a nearly full moon.
After cheering wildly as New Glenn ascended Space Coast residents were pleased they witnessed another chapter in the area’s storied history of space exploration. “It’s inspiring to see this level of innovation happening here,” said Sandra Lyons, an engineer who watched the launch from the beach near Cherie Down Park in Cape Canaveral. “Every mission brings us closer to a future where space travel becomes routine,” she said. “It’s good that there are now several companies that can provide launch services for the country.”
The Cape Canaveral beaches were crowded with spectators gathered to watch the launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn debut launch.
After staging, the second stage — often a point of failure for debut flights — ignited as planned and continued the ascent of the rocket and payload. The second stage is in its final orbit following two successful burns of the BE-3U engines. The payload, Blue Origin’s Blue Ring Pathfinder is receiving data and performing well.
In its stated criteria for success, Blue Origin achieved a rare feat: a successful first flight that achieved its primary goal of reaching orbit. Unfortunately, the secondary goal of landing the New Glenn first stage was unsuccessful. Blue Origin has yet to state the reason(s) the first stage did not land at sea as the company had hoped, but undoubtedly, the company gathered data and will have lessons learned not only from the failure of the recovery of the booster but also the flight itself of the entire system.
Statements From Blue Origin’s Leadership
“I’m incredibly proud New Glenn achieved orbit on its first attempt,” said Dave Limp, CEO, Blue Origin. “We knew landing our booster, So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance, on the first try was an ambitious goal. We’ll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring. Thank you to all of Team Blue for this incredible milestone.”
“Today marks a new era for Blue Origin and for commercial space,” said Jarrett Jones, Senior Vice President, New Glenn. “We’re focused on ramping our launch cadence and manufacturing rates. My heartfelt thanks to everyone at Blue Origin for the tremendous amount of work in making today’s success possible, and to our customers and the space community for their continuous support. We felt that immensely today.”
Blue skies Over Florida: New Glenn rising into the night on a pillar of blue fire. Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
New Glenn stood like a beacon in the night, with excess propellant being burned off as the vehicle stood on LC-36 on January 13, 2025 Photo: Charles Boyer, ToT
Blue Origin’s initial attempt to launch their 320-foot New Glenn for the first time did not go as planned this morning, as technical issues repeatedly forced pushbacks in the planned T-0 time, and finally resulted in a scrub for the morning as engineers were forced to call a scrub towards the end of the launch window.
Blue Origin has not announced the next New Glenn launch attempt, which remains upright at the Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket and its payload is safe and a new attempt may come as soon as overnight tonight, or in two days after SpaceX launches Falcon 9 with the Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission 1 & Hakuto-R M2 “Resilience” mission from LC-39A early Wednesday morning.
Jetty Park Pier was filled with hundreds of spectators awaiting New Glenn’s maiden launch. Photo: Charles Boyer / TotJetty Park Pier, looking towards the beach. Photo: Charles Boyer / Tot
Blue Origin has not officially announced the reasons behind the scrub, but seemingly informed rumors of an APU (Auxillary Power Unit) operating outside of its specifications were echoing up and down the beaches as spectators waited for the launch.
Weather Is A Concern For Tuesday Morning
One aspect of Blue Origin’s decision whether or not to try launching New Glenn may come down to weather: the 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 has posted a new forecast this morning that is somewhat pessimistic:
The 45th Weather Squadron released this forecast on Monday January 13th at around 3AM after Blue Origin officially scrubbed the New Glenn launch attempt. Retrieved January 13, 2025 0900
Overcast skies, rain showers and higher than acceptable winds are forecast for the Space Coast overnight, causing the 45th to predict only a 30% chance of the range being within acceptable weather conditions.
Given the fact that New Glenn has not yet flown, that it takes a long time to fuel (around five hours) to fuel and that the weather may not be very cooperative this evening, it would be no surprise if Blue Origin demurs from an attempt this evening, choosing to wait another two days until the weather turns in their favor. That would also afford Blue Origin’s engineers to further assess the data from last night’s launch attempt in order to find a path forward to launch.
This Is Not Unusual, Nor Is It Any Surprise
Before a rocket actually flies, there are tens of thousands of limits and parameters that the designers of the vehicle decide on, with all of those decisions related to best industry practices, theoretical limits, and experimental observations. While testing or simulations can provide some insight and process improvements, one thing they cannot provide is real-world data based on actual performance observed as the new rocket attempts to go to space.
Heat distortion gave a shimmery view of New Glenn as the sun set on January 12. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
That said, decision makers and engineers tend towards erring on the side of caution before flying. It makes good common sense to do so, and conservative decision making in these matters has shown to lead to the best outcomes, especially in an all-up testing scenario like New Glenn’s first flight.
“It is better to be on the ground wishing you were flying than it is to be in the air wishing you were on the ground fixing a problem.”
Old Aviation Maxim
Tomorrow is another day, and it is a chance to eliminate any problems you know about.
That said, despite the frustrations of space aficionados and launch spectators, playing it safe with a flying can of high-explosives is always the right choice. Fly when you are ready and never before, and that’s just what Blue Origin did this morning.
Heavy Seas in The Recovery Zone Force 24 Hour Delay
Blue Origin was forced to delay their attempt to launch New Glenn on its first mission until early Monday morning, due to high seas in the landing area for the first stage. The launch window opens at 1:00 AM (0600 UTC) early Monday and extends until 4:00 AM (1000 UTC) the same day.
New Glenn NG-1 at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base on January 11, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer / FMN
Ten-foot seas were expected overnight Sunday in the area where Blue Origin’s recovery ship ‘Jacklyn’ and its support ship ‘Harvey Stone’ are located. Those swells were enough for the company to delay one day, when conditions in the Atlantic are expected to improve.
Weather Forecasts
The 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is the best source for weather forecasts where launches are concerned and their latest Launch Mission Execution is the official weather forecast.
At LC-36: 90% GO
Offshore: Heavy seas in the recovery zone are expected to calm somewhat, with 5-6 seas forecast. This is down from 10-foot seas early Sunday.
That is a definite improvement for tomorrow, but concerns seem to shift to the launch site if another delay or a scrub were to occur as is noted above.
About New Glenn
New Glenn on its strongback at Launch Complex 36 at CCSFS. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Standing at approximately 98 meters (322 feet) tall, New Glenn is a two-stage rocket with an optional third stage for specific missions. The rocket’s first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines, fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LOX). New Glenn’s first stage produces 3.85 million pounds of thrust, about half of Saturn V, and roughly a quarter of SpaceX’s Starship Heavy.
Stage 1 is designed for reusability, capable of landing on an ocean-based platform for refurbishment and subsequent launches.
New Glenn’s second stage is powered by two BE-3U vacuum-optimized engines,which liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as their propellant.
New Glenn’s massive payload fairing, with a diameter of 7 meters (23 feet), is one of the largest in the industry, allowing it to carry a wide variety of payloads, including satellites, cargo, and interplanetary missions when the rocket is fully operational.
New Glenn’s lift capacity is 45 metric tons (nearly 99,000 pounds) to low Earth orbit (LEO) or 13 metric tons (approximately 28,660 pounds) to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
New Glenn’s development began before 2013 and was officially announced in 2016. The rocket is named in tribute to NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth.
On its first mission will carry a prototype Blue Ring spacecraft. This mission marks the first in a series of demonstration launches necessary to achieve certification for the National Security Space Launch program.
New Glenn standing on its pad at Launch Complex 36, close to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
New Glenn during its Integrated Static Fire earlier this month. Photo: Blue Origin
Everything appears to be ready at the launch pad for the maiden launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, but weather offshore has forced at least a two-day delay in the company’s first launch attempt of the 320-foot tall rocket.
New Glenn Launch Update: We're shifting our NG-1 launch date to no earlier than January 12 due to a high sea state in the Atlantic where we hope to land our booster. Our three-hour window remains the same, opening Sunday at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC).
The ECWMF forecast model is calling for 12-foot seas overnight tonight, as Blue Origin indicates in their post on X. On Sunday morning, things aren’t predicted to improve much, with 12-14 foot seas in the general vicinity of Blue Origin’s recovery vessel, Jacklyn and its support ship, Harvey Stone.
Position of Jacklyn and Harvey Stone on January 9, 2024
The now-deleted LME from the 45th Weather Squadron corroborates what the commercial forecast models are saying. The 48 hour forecast — for Sunday morning — is also calling for high seas:
Via 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 Retrieved 01/09/2025 07:00 am EST
For their part, the 45th will release a new LME forecast prior to Sunday’s attempt.
With those forecasts in mind, do not be surprised if Blue Origin is forced to shift New Glenn’s launch date to the right sometime over the weekend. On the other hand, it’s the weather, and it’s the ocean, two things that are well known to defy forecasts.
SpaceX Falcon 9 launching BlueBird 1-5 on September 12, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
2025 is here, and it won’t take long for the Eastern Range to open its new year for the facility: SpaceX plans to launch the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite for UAE based Yahsat on Friday evening, while preparations for Blue Origin to the fly New Glenn on its maiden launch continue apace, with a target date of early Monday morning.
Quick Glance At The Year To Come
There were 93 launches from KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in 2024, with the bulk of those launches being SpaceX / Falcon 9 missions. In 2025, Elon Musk said “Probably [greater than] 180 Falcon launches in 2025” and the bulk of those will be from here on the Space Coast.
United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno said ULA has 20missions on its 2025 manifest. Payload readiness will be the apparent limiting limiting factor, according to Bruno, and like Falcon 9, the bulk of those missions will launch from the company’s Eastern Range launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41.
Blue Origin will also add to the launch count, with several New Glenn missions slated to lift off from LC-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The current target for the year has not been stated by the company, and much depends on the success of the first flew flights of the new rocket.
All in all, it is fair to say that like 2024, the record for the number of launches from Florida will be broken come year’s end.
SpaceX
SpaceX has two launches on the schedule for this weekend.
Thuraya 4-NGS – Friday 3 January – 08:27 PM – 12:53 AM EST
Starlink 6-71 – Sunday 5 January – 12:10PM – 4:41 PM EST
Thuraya 4
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off carrying the GSAT-20 mission on November 18, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
Thuraya 4-NGS is a communication satellite built by Airbus UAE-based Al Yah Satellite Communications Company P.J.S.C. (Yahsat). It is built on the all-electric Airbus Eurostar-Neo Platform and will incorporate a large 12-meter L-band antenna and a payload capable of processing providing 3200 channels over a large number of spot beams.
Thuraya is the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE-based Al Yah Satellite Communications Company P.J.S.C. (Yahsat), a public company and subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company. Established in 1997, Thuraya is the UAE’s first home-grown satellite operator.
Formed in 2008 and publicly traded on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, Yahsat serves customers in 150 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Asia and Australia. They offer voice, data, video and internet services for broadcast, Internet, and VSAT users for both private and government organizations.
Thuraya 4 rendering, released by Yahsat.
Thuraya 4 will be aboard Falcon 9 and launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Via Space Launch Delta 45 of the US Air Force on 1/1/2025
Starlink 6-71
SpaceX plans to add to its ever-growing Starlink constellation with the Starlink 6-71 mission. There are around 6,800 Starlink satellites in orbit currently, with several thousand more planned. The mission will carry another batch of 20-23 Starlink Mini V2 units to join the company’s Group 6 band of satellites.
Starlink launching in 2023 from SLC-40 in Cape Canaveral.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Falcon 9 will be again be the workhorse for this mission, also planned to launch from SLC-40 on Sunday afternoon, with the window opening at 12:10 PM EST.
Neither launch has been officially announced by SpaceX, so stay tuned.
Blue Origin
After completing its integrated vehicle hotfire test and wet dress rehearsal successfully, Blue Origin appears to be planning to launch New Glenn from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the wee hours of Monday morning with the launch window opening at 01:00 AM EST on January 6th.
New Glenn during successful integrated vehicle hotfire. Photo: Blue Origin
Following the hotfire, Blue Origin’s prime investor and driving force, Jeff Bezos said succinctly, “Next stop launch.”
This will be the first flight of the 320-foot tall rocket for the company. Aboard will be test components for Blue Ring.
Despite the late (or early?) hour that Blue Origin plans to launch New Glenn, this is likely one of the launches of the year from the Eastern Range. That’s because New Glenn is large, and mighty with 3.8 million pounds of thrust coming from seven Blue Origin BE-4 engines. This promises to be a loud rocket, and one well worth watching.
The launch window extends from 01:00 AM EST (0600Z) to 04:45 AM (1045Z) the same day.
Blue Origin New Glenn on the launch mount at LC-36. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville.
Blue Origin had a very good day on Friday: they completed their first-ever integrated static fire of New Glenn, after having received a five-year license for New Glenn launch and recovery operations for Cape Canaveral.m
Launch License
An FAA launch license was perhaps the last major regulatory milestone for Blue Origin in its launch campaign for the New Glenn maiden launch. Late Friday afternoon, the FAA announced that it had granted the company the necessary legal clearance to fly the vehicle:
“The FAA is committed to enabling the success of the U.S. commercial space transportation industry without compromising public safety,” said the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Kelvin B. Coleman. “By working closely with Blue Origin, the FAA issued this new launch license well in advance of the statutory deadline for the historic maiden flight of New Glenn.”
Under the license, Blue Origin can conduct orbital missions from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida with the New Glenn first stage landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. It is valid for five years.
Blue Completes First Static Fire Of New Glenn
In recent weeks, New Glenn has mostly been vertical at Launch Complex 36 as Blue Origin ran tests, honed procedures and rehearsed the terminal countdown of the rocket before its first flight. Those tests culminated Friday when launch controllers went all the way down to T-0 and briefly ignited New Glenn’s seven BE-4 main engines all together for the first time.
New Glenn during its integrated static fire Photo: Blue Origin
Blue Origin stated in a press release that the data obtained during testing will be utilized to finalize day-of-launch timelines, confirm expected performance, and correlate models to real-world test data.
“This is a monumental milestone and a glimpse of what’s just around the corner for New Glenn’s first launch,” said Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn. “Today’s success proves that our rigorous approach to testing–combined with our incredible tooling and design engineering–is working as intended.”
The tanking test included a full run-through of the terminal count sequence, testing the hand-off authority to and from the flight computer, and collecting fluid validation data. The first stage (GS1) tanks were filled and pressed with liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LOX), and the second stage (GS2) with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen–both to representative NG-1 set points.
The formal NG-1 Wet Dress Rehearsal demonstrated the final launch procedures leading into the hotfire engine run. All seven engines performed nominally, firing for 24 seconds, including at 100% thrust for 13 seconds. The test also demonstrated New Glenn’s autogenous pressurization system, which self-generates gases to pressurize GS1’s propellant tanks.
Blue Origin, September 27, 2024
According to Blue Origin, “The campaign met all objectives and marks the final major test prior to launch.”
New Glenn is now expected to launch on January 6, 2025.
You must be logged in to post a comment.