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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
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SpaceX Landing Zone 1

In a long expected move, documents showing that SpaceX is planning to shift operations away from Landing Zones 1 and 2 at Cape Canaveral’s Space Force Station’s old LC-13 to an area just east of the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 have been filed.

A recently released Master Drainage Plan Modification plat shows the location of the new landing zone for Falcon 9 landings.

LZ-1 and LZ-2 (as they are colloquially known in the spaceflight community) are on the site of the former Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

LC-13 was constructed in 1956 used for test launches and operational Atlas launches from 1958 to 1978, when it was shuttered. The Mobile Service Tower was demolished by a controlled explosion in 2005 for safety reasons, and the blockhouse there was demolished in 2012.

A person standing in the middle of the main landing pad at LZ-1 shows its size.
Photo: SpaceX

Two New Landing Pads?

Also in the works, SpaceX is planning to build a landing zone aside its launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, but current conventional wisdom assumes this will be for SpaceX’s future Starship operations.

LC-13 History

LC-13 was originally used for operational and test launches of the Atlas ICBM, and Atlas B, D, E and F missiles were also test launched from there. It was the most-used and longest-serving of the original four Atlas pads.

  • April 1956 – LC-13 construction started
  • 14 April 1958 – Air Force accepted the launch complex
  • 2 August 1958 – First of two Atlas B launches
  • 14 April 1959 – 11 March 1960 – Thirteen Atlas D launches
  • 15 February 1960 – Atlas Able exploded during static firing
  • 11 October 1960 – 13 February 1962 – Fourteen Atlas E launches
  • 10 November 1961 – Monkey “Goliath” launched on Atlas E; mission failed
  • 9 August 1961 – One Atlas F launched
  • 1962-1963 – Pad converted into an Atlas Agena D complex for space launches. The A-frame Mobile Service Tower was demolished and a new larger, square-shaped structure was built.
  • 17 October 1963 – 20 July 1965 – Three VELA launches (two satellites each)
  • 5 November 1964 – NASA Mariner 3 mission launched by an Atlas Agena
  • 1966 – Launch complex turned over to NASA for civilian Atlas Agena D launches
  • 6 November 1966 – 4 March 1968 – Six NASA Atlas Agena D launched; five Lunar Orbiter and one Orbiting Geophysical Observatory E
  • March 1968 – Returned to Air Force
  • 6 August 1968 – 7 April 1978 – Eleven classified Atlas Agena D launches for the Air Force
  • 7 April 1978 – Launch complex deactivated after the last launch. Supported 51 Atlas and Atlas Agena launches
  • 6 August 2005 – Mobile Service Tower came down by a controlled explosion
  • June 2012 – Blockhouse demolished
  • February 2015 – Site leased by SpaceX to be used as a landing platform for the Falcon9 1st stage
  • Site renamed Landing Zone One (LZ-1)
  • 21 December 2015 B1019 touched down during Falcon 9 flight 20
  • 6 February 2018 Two booster touch down at LZ-1 and LZ-2 during Falcon Heavy Flight Test

    Source: Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum
Atlas Agena D with Mariner 3 on the launchpad, at Cape Canaveral. Photo: NASA
Atlas Agena D with Mariner 3 on the launchpad, at Cape Canaveral’s LC-13
Photo: NASA
August 2005 – Mobile Service Tower was demolished by a controlled explosion. US Air Force  ID 050809-F-0000X-012
August 2005 – Mobile Service Tower was demolished by a controlled explosion at LC-13
US Air Force  ID 050809-F-0000X-012
SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster B1019 touched down at LZ-1 during flight 20 to become the first successfully returned orbital booster. Photo: SpaceX
SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster B1019 touched down at LZ-1 during flight 20 to become the first successfully returned orbital booster.
Photo: SpaceX
Two booster touch down at LZ-1 and LZ-2 during Falcon Heavy Flight Test on 6 February 2018. Photo: SpaceX
Two booster touch down at LZ-1 and LZ-2 during Falcon Heavy Flight Test on 6 February 2018.
Photo: SpaceX

LC-13’s Future

In 2023, the 2-pad launch site has been allocated to Cocoa, Florida based Vaya Space and also Phantom Space through the Department of the Air Force’s Launch Pad Allocation Strategy (LPAS), a program designed to support the commercial space market and demand at the Eastern Range.

At the time, Kevin Lowdermilk, CEO of Vaya Space said, “We are proud to be selected as one of the four companies in the first round of the Launch Pad Allocation Strategy by the Space Force and we truly appreciate their support of commercial space launch. We are pleased to call SLC-13 home.”

Rendering of the Vaya Dauntless rocket. Graphic: Vaya Space
Rendering of the Vaya Dauntless rocket.
Graphic: Vaya Space

“Launching from SLC-13 gives Vaya Space a long-term home on the Eastern Range to support our customers’ launch needs,” added Rob Fabian, COO of Vaya Space. “We’re looking forward to many launches from there alongside our friends from Phantom Space. It’s encouraging to see a new generation of commercial space launch vehicles rise up in the footprints of the old Atlas launch vehicles the site was built to launch.”

Vaya is producing the Dauntless rocket, which is propelled by solid rocket fuel. That fuel is produced from 99% recycled post-industrial thermoplastic, and the Dauntless rocket will utilize more than 7.8 metric tons per launch. Vaya states that the spent fuel exhaust will safely break it down into non-toxic byproducts.

Timing

At this point in time, the dates for the approval, construction and eventual move of SpaceX landing operations to the new landing pad are not known.

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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

What Happened?

Basically, what happened is this: Blue Origin conducted a static fire test on the launch pad in September 2024. As part of the test, they employed the pad’s water deluge system before all the permitting had been issued, which was completed the first week of November last year.

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.”

LC-36 FDEP 1Download

The matter came to an apparent conclusion today, when FDEP sent Blue Origin this letter:

Blue Origin has not spoken publicly on the violation.

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SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off at the stroke of midnight December 29th. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

After two previous delays, including an abort-at-ignition and a booster swap, SpaceX launched the ‘From One To Many’ payload for Astranis tonight from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral aboard Falcon 9. Liftoff was at 12:00 AM EST (05:00 UTC) under broken skies on the Space Coast.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off at the stroke of midnight December 29th.
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off at the stroke of midnight December 29th. It was carrying the Astranis ‘From One To Many’ payload to orbit.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Around 8.5 minutes later, Falcon 9 Booster B1083 completed its seventh mission successfully when it touched down on ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’ stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. ASOG and B1083 will now return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be offloaded and returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X at Kennedy Space Center for inspection and preparation for its eighth flight.

At 3:02 AM EST, Astranis CEO said, “Great news– we have acquired and established command authority over all four spacecraft.”

Falcon 9 venting late in the countdown before its launch on January 29, 2024 Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Falcon 9 venting late in the countdown before its launch on January 29, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Payload

Four Astranis MicroGEO Block 2 communications satellite were delivered to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Once they have been deployed, they will travel to their final orbital locations under their own power.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

SpaceX is planning to launch Starlink 12-6 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center NET Monday, December 30, 2024. The launch window opens at 12:00 AM EST (0500 UTC) and closes at 3:28 AM the same day.

  • Date: NET December 30, 2024
  • Organization: SpaceX
  • Mission: Starlink 12-6
  • Rocket: Falcon 9
  • Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
  • Launch Window: 12:00 – 03:28 AM EST
  • Payload: Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s ISP constellation.
A timelapse of the flight path of Falcon 9 / Astranis From One To Many on December 29, 2024
A timelapse of the flight path of Falcon 9 / Astranis From One To Many on December 29, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT
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Blue Origin New Glenn on the launch mount at LC-36. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville.
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:

Blue Origin’s Launch LicenseDownload

“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.

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The New Glenn vehicle rolled out and upended for the first time to undergo a series of tanking and mechanical system tests (February 21, 2024).
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 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.”

New Glenn Launching This Year?

The headline for the Blue Ring announcement had an interesting statement: “Blue Ring Pathfinder Payload Ready for Launch; Blue Origin’s New Glenn on Track for This Year.”

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.

There are three weeks left in 2024.

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SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the SXM-9 satellite for Sirius-XM today. Liftoff was at 11:10 AM EST from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center and into hazy but blue skies over Florida.

Around 8.25 minutes later, Falcon 9 booster B1076 touched down offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, successfully concluding its 19th mission. ‘Just Read The Instructions’ had been pre-positioned offshore downrange and will now return to Port Canaveral where B1076 will be returned to SpaceX’s Hangar X for inspection and, presumably, preparation for its 20th flight.

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