The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has fined Blue Origin $3000 plus costs for conducting a static fire of New Glenn’s second stage prior to the department issuing the company a permit to use Launch Complex 36’s water deluge system. The total amount came to $3,250, a nominal fine for the violation.
LC-36’s water deluge system in action in September 2024 as Blue Origin conducted a second stage static fire on the launch pad. Credit: Blue Origin
As a result, FDEP notified Blue Origin that they had violated the law, saying, “While Blue Origin applied for a permit for the LC-36 deluge system on May 31, 2024, no permit has been issued to date and the system may not be placed into service. This static fire appears to constitute an intentional unauthorized discharge of untreated industrial wastewater to the environment.”
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.
On Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Blue Origin continued testing New Glenn as it prepares for the first launch of the company’s first orbital rocket. The company fueled the rocket and conducted simulated countdowns.
Despite no rockets heading to space this weekend from the Eastern Range, it was still quite a busy weekend for both SpaceX and Blue Origin at Cape Canaveral.
Friday Evening / Saturday Morning
Falcon 9 / Astranis ‘From One To Many’ standing at the launch pad early Friday evening at Space Launch Complex 40. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
First up on deck was SpaceX and Falcon 9 out at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the Astranis “From One To Many” mission. After a couple of short pushes to later in the evening, T-0 was set for midnight on Saturday morning.
The countdown seemed smooth and without incident, but when Falcon 9 ignited its engines, there was an immediate shutdown and a launch abort. Due to the nature of Falcon 9’s propellants, a scrub for the evening was called immediately.
Falcon 9, Booster B1077, Astranis ‘From One To Many,’ September 20, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX has not disclosed what caused the shutdown to happen, but as of Sunday morning, Falcon 9 is horizontal on the launch mount at SLC-40. Both rocket and payload are safe, and SpaceX’s team is working to remediate the issue(s) that caused the shutdown. They have not announced a new launch day/time for the next attempt for this mission.
Falcon 9, horizontal at SLC-40 on Sunday, December 22, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Blue Origin Continues Wet Dress Testing of New Glenn
Over at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Blue Origin continued testing New Glenn as it prepares for the first launch of the company’s first orbital rocket.
New Glenn standing tall at LC-36 in Cape Canaveral on Saturday, December 21, 2024. The rocket was venting vapors and the burnoff towers were aflame most of the day. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Throughout the day and early to the evening, Blue’s team conducted a Wet Dress Rehearsal for New Glenn, and at times a Static Fire of the first stage seemed imminent: the venting would stop, flame from burn-off stacks would diminish, while ice was falling off of the rocket. But, alas, it was not meant to be.
The status and outcomes of the Wet Dress Rehearsals have not been released by Blue Origin. Given that New Glenn remains upright and that no statement of any potential delays have been announced, optimistically, things seem to be going well.
As seen from the pier at Jetty Park, Blue Origin’s New Glenn on its launch mount on September 21, 2024. To the right, the Cape Canaveral lighthouse. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk o Titusville
No timelines for any potential static-fire or launch attempts have been given. Aside from successfully completing prelaunch operations and a static fire of New Glenn, Blue Origin still needs a launch license from the FAA before it can send New Glenn on its debut flight. Given that Blue Origin has said that they are planning to launch this year, it will need to come soon — and the Christmas holiday looms next week.
New Glenn venting on December 21, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Both Blue Origin and SpaceX Are Staying Busy At Port Canaveral
A quick look at Port Canaveral saw no SpaceX automdated drone ships in port, but both of their support ships, Bob and Doug, were moored at the SpaceX docks.
Booster B1090 is on the dock awaiting transportation to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center, and by all appearances, that move will be made quite soon.
Only a few yards to the northwest, Blue Origin’s booster landing ship Jacklyn and its support ship, ‘Harvey Stone’ were also in port.
Booster B1090 on SpaceX’s dock at Port Canaveral Saturday morning. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleBlue Origin’s Jacklyn and Harvey Stone look ship-shape and ready to head out to see when the word is given. After a successful static fire, when this pair heads out things will be getting real for the first flight of New Glenn. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleSpaceX’s ‘Doug’ moored in Port Canaveral on December 21, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of TitusvilleGood Neighbors: from left to right: Blue Origin’s ‘Jacklyn’, Blue’s ‘Harvey Stone’, SpaceX’s berth and Booster B1090. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
New Glenn at LC-36 earlier this year. Photo: Blue Origin
Blue Origin announced today that the payload for the first launch of their New Glenn orbital-class rocket is ready, and that the company still plans to launch the flight this year — which has only 22 days remaining.
The Payload
Blue Ring inside New Glenn’s fairings. Photo: Blue Origin
Blue Origin plans to conduct a pathfinder test of its Blue Ring technologies. Blue Ring is described by the company as a “spacecraft platform,” one that can not only orbit Earth and provide services to satellites, but also travel around the Moon, with the goal of providing delivery and logistics support to cislunar space projects as well.
Blue Ring will also function as a maneuverable platform that can host, transport, and refuel other spacecraft. It will also be capable of acting as a data relay while also offering an “in-space” cloud computing capability, according to the original announcement of the project.
Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, said on December 9, “There is a growing demand to quickly move and position equipment and infrastructure in multiple orbits. Blue Ring has advanced propulsion and communication capabilities for government and commercial customers to handle these maneuvers precisely and efficiently.”
“This Blue Ring Pathfinder is equipped with storage and compute virtualization to demonstrate anomaly detection using machine learning. Its mission kit provides high-performance, radiation-tolerant compute and storage akin to today’s cloud-based offerings,” Limp concluded.
“We’re excited to demonstrate Blue Ring’s advanced in-space operations on New Glenn’s inaugural mission,” said Paul Ebertz, Senior Vice President of Blue Origin’s In-Space Systems. “Blue Ring plays a critical role in building a road to space, and this mission is an important first step for Blue Ring and enabling dynamic and responsive operations that will greatly benefit our nation.”
Dave Limp also said on December 8 that Blue is awaiting “regulatory approvals for hotfire and launch” of New Glenn. Presumably, that is an FAA license to launch as well as approval from the Space Force that Blue Origin for the static fire and also that New Glenn ready for flight from a range safety and operations standpoint.
While Blue Origin waits for the paperwork to be finished, they have been conducting fueling operations on New Glenn at LC-36.
While we wait for regulatory approvals for hotfire and launch, here’s a photo (and a bonus video) of our “chilling” GS1. This marks the first time we’re tanking our first stage with liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LOX). The first stage LOX tank is nearly 30,000 cu.… pic.twitter.com/S9wDtCUFNI
An artist rendering of AST Mobile satellites in orbit. Graphic: Blue Origin via X.com
Business is picking up at Blue Origin, as the company and AST Mobile announced yesterday that Blue and New Glenn have been selected for multiple launches of AST’s next-generation Block 2 BlueBird satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO). According to both companies, the launches will occur over a multi-year period.
Both Companies Comment On The Contract
“New Glenn’s performance and unprecedented capacity within its seven-meter fairing enables us to deploy more of our Block 2 BlueBird satellites in orbit, helping provide continuous cellular broadband service coverage across some of the most in-demand cellular markets globally,” said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, AST SpaceMobile in a press release.
“It’s an honor to support AST SpaceMobile’s deployment of their next generation BlueBird satellites, which will expand connectivity across the globe and positively impact many lives,” said Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp in the same press release. “New Glenn is purpose-built for these kinds of innovative and ambitious missions.”
New Glenn Set To Fly For First Time In the Next Six Weeks
New Glenn is anticipated to make its maiden flight sometime this year, though Blue Origin has not announced a specific date for that launch. The company recently assembled the first and second-stage flight hardware for that first flight, with other preparations still continuing.
Blue Origin also received a water deluge permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the past couple of weeks, clearing the way for BO to fire up New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines for both a pre-launch static fire and the launch of New Glenn itself. The water deluge system is part of the vital sound suppression system used at Launch Complex 36 to protect New Glenn on its initial ascent.
The company still needs an FAA permit for the flight, but one is expected soon.
The partially assembled rocket set to fly the maiden launch of New Glenn for Blue Origin Photo: Blue Origin, via X.com
With its BlueBird satellites, AST Mobile is building a constellation of “low-latency broadband satellites” that it will use to serve both the commercial and consumer marketplace. According to the company, AST Mobile’s technology will “operate directly with everyday smartphones and allow seamless switching between terrestrial cell towers and satellite signals depending on location and coverage needs.”
AST Mobile Partnering with Nearly 50 Companies With BlueBird
In 2024, AST SpaceMobile has secured additional strategic investment from AT&T, Verizon, Google and Vodafone, and new contract awards with the United States Government, directly and through prime contractors. The company has agreements with more than 45 mobile network operators globally, which have over 2.8 billion existing subscribers total.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launching BlueBird 1-5 for AST Mobile on September 24, 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
The first five BlueBird satellites launched by AST SpaceMobile were launched on September 12, 2024. The BlueBirds are the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed, with each satellite’s antenna covering 693 square feet. The satellites are designed to provide direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity to mobile phones.
BlueBird 1: COSPAR: 2024-163C
BlueBird 2: COSPAR: 2024-163D
BlueBird 3: COSPAR: 2024-163A
BlueBird 4: COSPAR: 2024-163E
BlueBird 5: COSPAR: 2024-163B
The satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on September 12, 2024.
According to AST Mobile, the launches purchased in this contract will fly in 2025 and 2026, with around sixty BlueBird Block 2 satellites as the payload. New Glenn, with its seven-meter fairing, can launch up to eight BlueBird Block 2 in a single launch, so while it was not specifically noted by either company, it sounds like at least seven or eight New Glenn launches will be needed to meet the goal of lofting sixty satellites.
A Blue Origin BE-4 engine being test fired. Photo: Blue Origin
Water Deluge Permit Needed For New Glenn Sound Suppression System at LC-36
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has granted Blue Orgin’s application for a water deluge system at Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. It now appears that Blue Origin now has no remaining regulatory hurdles prior to the planned static fire of New Glenn’s first stage and its eventual launch at some point in the near future.
Blue Origin implemented the water deluge system to suppress sound and manage the intense acoustic energy generated during New Glenn launches. When engine exhaust gases surpass the speed of sound, they collide with the surrounding air, creating shockwaves and noise levels reaching nearly 200 decibels. This powerful energy can reflect off the launch platform and pad surfaces, potentially damaging the rocket or its payload. A water deluge system works to absorb or deflect that energy, helping to protect critical components during liftoff. It is used by all major launch service providers and NASA itself for SLS.
At the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection handles environmental permitting for a water deluge system. Without the FDEP permit, Blue Origin could not legally use the new LC-36 water deluge system, and as such, they could not conduct a full New Glenn S1 test firing.
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