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.”
Blue Origin’s New Glenn on its debut launch in January. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The FAA has completed its investigation into the failed landing of Blue Origin’s New Glenn debut flight. Despite successfully reaching orbit with the vehicle on their first try, Blue Origin was unable to relight the engines for New Glenn’s Stage 1 as it began to descend towards ‘Jacklyn’, its designated landing ship. The booster was lost as a result and an FAA investigation followed.
FAA Statement
The FAA said today that
The FAA-required investigation of the Blue Origin New Glenn-1 mishap that occurred on Jan. 16 is closed. There were no public injuries or public property damage.
The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the Blue Origin-led investigation. The final mishap report identified the proximate cause of the mishap as an inability of New Glenn’s first stage to restart the engines, preventing a reentry burn from occurring, and resulting in the loss of the stage.
Blue Origin identified seven corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence of the event. The FAA will verify that Blue Origin implements corrective actions prior to the launch of the New Glenn-2 mission.
The Blue Origin New Glenn vehicle is authorized to return to flight provided all other licensing requirements are met.
“New Glenn launched successfully on January 16, achieving our goal to reach orbit and deploy Blue Ring. Our ambitious attempt to land the booster, “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” was unsuccessful due to our three BE-4 engines not re-igniting properly. Our review confirmed that all debris landed in our designated hazard area with no threat to public safety. The report identified seven corrective actions, focusing on propellant management and engine bleed control improvements, which we’re already addressing. We expect to return to flight in late spring and will attempt to land the booster again.”
Obviously the best data comes from flying, and we learned a lot from New Glenn’s first mission. We’re confident that the propellant and bleed control work we’re doing will increase our chances of landing the booster on our next flight. And like we’ve said all along, we’ll keep trying [to land the booster] until we do.
Dave Limp, Blue Origin CEO, March 31, 2025
With this, Blue Origin can now launch New Glenn again. The company has stated that late spring is their goal for the second flight of the 320-foot rocket, which implies in 6-12 weeks.
FAA Oversight
The FAA is responsible for investigating commercial space mishaps under several key U.S. laws and regulations:
Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984 (CSLA), as amended (51 U.S.C. Chapter 509) This law gives the Department of Transportation (delegated to the FAA) the authority to regulate and oversee commercial space launches and reentries to ensure public safety, protect property, and encourage the growth of the industry.
Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 450 and Part 460
14 CFR Part 450 governs the licensing and safety requirements for launch and reentry operations.
14 CFR Part 460 sets crew and spaceflight participant safety regulations. These rules give the FAA the authority to investigate mishaps to determine whether licensed operators complied with safety standards.
49 U.S.C. § 40113 and § 46101 These statutes give the FAA broad authority to conduct investigations and enforce compliance related to transportation safety, including in the commercial space sector.
To that end, the FAA investigates commercial space mishaps to ensure public safety, maintain regulatory oversight, and improve the safety of future space missions. The process helps protect the health and safety of the general public.
When the FAA investigates a mishap, general practice is to ground the vehicle while the investigation takes place, but this is not set in stone as the FAA can and has allowed vehicles to return to flight in cases where the mishap never resulted in any risk to public safety or property.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn on its debut launch in January. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Blue Origin announced this morning that it has been given certification by NASA for Category 1 missions. A NASA Category 1 mission is a launch with a high risk, such as using a new rocket configuration or one with little flight history, and is an important step in the qualification process for higher categories and higher-risk missions.
With the classification, New Glenn is now certified by NASA to launch the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission, a flight slated for sometime this spring. Neither organization has yet commented on a more specific launch date.
Blue Origin’s CEO, Dave Limp, succinctly replied to the announcement on the X platform by saying, “Thank you, NASA, for the partnership.”
By achieving this qualification, Blue is now rated for Class D: High Risk Tolerance missions.
Class D: High risk tolerance missions, normally representing a lower priority mission with a medium to low complexity. Class D payloads may be launched on Risk Category 1 rockets or rockets that NASA has not certified. Other high-risk payload launch service options may be pursued through the NASA Flight Planning Board.
Examples of past NASA Class D missions include CYGNSS (Pegasus XL,2016), NICER (Falcon 9, 2017), TROPICS (Electron, 2017), and MarCO (Atlas V-401, 2018).
via NASA Launch Services Risk Classification Fact Sheet
Obviously, this is a first-step for Blue Origin, and it will obviously seek to attain certification to carry higher risk payloads in the future when New Glenn has a longer track record.
As expected, the FAA is requiring an investigation into Blue Origin’s New Glenn’s first stage failure during its descent towards an attempted landing in the Atlantic Ocean:
While it is unlikely that any property or persons were placed in danger by the failure event, this is a normal requirement for any launch failure by a commercial launch provider that is not operating under a NASA or DoD launch license.
Regarding the investigation, Blue Origin stated, “We’re working closely with the FAA and submitted our initial findings within 24 hours. Our goal is to fly New Glenn again this spring. Our mission was a success – our lone objective was to reach orbit while noting that landing our booster, “So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance,” hundreds of miles offshore would be a bonus.”
FAA Responsibilities
The FAA requires all commercial spaceflight operators to comply with regulations outlined in 14 CFR Part 450, which governs the licensing and operational requirements for launch and reentry activities. A failure during a launch triggers immediate protocols, including mandatory reporting to the FAA. Operators must notify the FAA within 24 hours of a mishap, defined as any event resulting in fatalities, serious injuries, or significant property damage. Incidents involving public safety, such as debris landing in unauthorized areas, also require immediate reporting.
The FAA oversees the mishap investigation process, ensuring operators adhere to safety and procedural requirements. The investigation team, often led by the operator and monitored by the FAA, examines the root causes of the failure. Detailed reports, including telemetry data, video evidence, and witness statements, must be submitted to the FAA for review. The agency may impose corrective actions or additional safety requirements to prevent similar incidents.
Additionally, the FAA ensures compliance with insurance and financial responsibility requirements under 51 U.S.C. § 50914. This includes compensation for third-party damages resulting from launch failures. Given that the failure was over the Atlantic Ocean, this is unlikely to apply to the case of the Blue Origin first stage failure.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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