I nearly deleted this from my card when I saw it on the camera. The lens was a 16mm/2.8, I hated the barrel distortion and the overall softness of the shot. Then I looked at it on a laptop, and hmmm, that is actually pretty sharp. You can see the first stage for quite a long way if you look full size.
My other shots from this launch are here: Blue Origin, New Glenn, January 16, 2025.
Blue Origin called off the highly anticipated first launch of its New Glenn rocket on Sunday afternoon, citing poor weather conditions at Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 36. It was a day when the sun and rain alternated, and sometimes the sun would stay out while it was raining: call it sunny rain. That proved to be unacceptable to the launch team, and a scrub was called just at the end of the launch window, around 4:15 PM ET.
Blue Origin will recycle and reset, planning for the next attempt for a launch on Wednesday afternoon. The window opens at 2:50 PM ET, and extends to 4:17 the same day.
It’s rare to say that a launch countdown is an adventure, but this one was — it had everything: rain, then sun, then more rain, fishing boats fouling the range, then the fishing boat losing one of two of its motors and having to limp out to a safe area, and finally, once the fishermen were safely north of the exclusion area, a cruise ship ignoring the Notice to Mariners advisory and heading out into the range, temporarily fouling it in their rush to head to sea with thousands of vacationers aboard.
The first part, weather, you could follow with your own eyes if you were watching from close by. The second, boats and ships in the exclusion area, was a drama easily followed on Channel 16 of the marine band. The weather was shifting often as a steady line of storms between Titusville and Daytona Beach would move south, then drift north. The boat captains were generally cooperative and jocular. The cruise ship? Silent on the channels we were monitoring.
Crowds were heavy, with Jetty Park and Cherie Down Park in Cape Canaveral reaching capacity despite the weather. The beaches were lined with spectators as well, with everyone looking forward to the sight of the 322-foot rocket lumbering skyward. It was not to be on this day, but few grumbles were heard from anyone.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Mission | New Glenn | EscaPADE Go for Launch! |
| Window Opens | Wednesday, 11/12/2025 2:50:00 PM |
| Window Closes | Wednesday, 11/12/2025 4:17:00 PM |
| Organization | Blue Origin |
| Location | Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA |
| Rocket | New Glenn |
| Pad | Launch Complex 36A |
| Status | Go for Launch |
| Status Info | Current T-0 confirmed by official or reliable sources. |
| Destination | Mars Orbit |
| Mission Description | Second flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn launch vehicle carrying the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE), a dual-spacecraft mission from University of California, Berkeley to study ion and sputtered escape from Mars. The spacecrafts' scientific goals are to understand the processes controlling the structure of Mars' hybrid magnetosphere and how it guides ion flows; understand how energy and momentum are transported from the solar wind through Mars' magnetosphere; and understand the processes controlling the flow of energy and matter into and out of the collisional atmosphere. |
The 45th Weather Squadron has released their L-2 forecast for New Glenn's second launch attempt:
The offshore landing area remains an area of concern and may yet affect the second launch attempt. We'll see. The 45th will issue another Launch Mission Execution Forecast tomorrow.
Blue Origin has raised New Glenn to its vertical launch position at LC-36A, with the 322-foot-tall set to liftoff this afternoon between 2:45 PM and 5:11 PM ET. Weather may be a concern, with acceptable conditions expected to fade as the afternoon progresses.
After booster separation, Blue Origin will attempt to land the GS-1 New Glenn first stage on Jacklyn, its automated droneship.
| Organization | Blue Origin |
| Location | Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA |
| Rocket | New Glenn |
| Pad | Launch Complex 36A |
| Status | Go for Launch |
| Status Info | Current T-0 confirmed by official or reliable sources. |
| Window Opens | Sunday, 11 / 09 / 2025 2:45 PM |
| Window Closes | Sunday, 11 / 09 / 2025 5:11 PM |
| Destination | Mars Orbit |
| Mission Description | Second flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn carrying NASA’s EscaPADE dual-spacecraft mission (UC Berkeley) to study ion and sputtered escape from Mars and the energy/momentum flow through Mars’ hybrid magnetosphere. |
| Watch Live | Blue Origin Official Stream (YouTube) | Mission Page |
As of 7:34 PM Saturday November 8, 2025. Launch assignments and times are subject to change or cancellation at any time. Consult BlueOrigin.com for updates.
The 45th Weather Squadron of Space Launch Delta 45 has released their latest weather forecast for tomorrow’s launch window: 65->55% GO.
An interesting area of concern is noted by the 45th: solar activity. Currently, NOAA forecasters expect moderate geomagnetic storms for the next seventy-two hours as additional Coronal Mass Ejections brush or strike Earth’s magnetic field, due to activity traced to active sunspot 4274.
Fortunately, the concern is rated low to moderate, so it’s worth keeping the corner of your eye on it.
Neither Blue Origin or NASA have provided any specific numbers, but the launch trajectory is expected to be ~28.5° — due east.
ESCAPADE is a pair of small, matching Mars probes built by Rocket Lab, with each carrying compact instruments to sample magnetic fields and charged particles around the planet. The sensor suite includes a magnetometer provided by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and lightweight plasma instruments developed with university collaborators, sized for a dual-spacecraft flight.
Their job is to observe how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ patchy crustal magnetism and how that interaction helps strip the upper atmosphere. By flying in coordinated orbits, the two spacecraft can compare conditions at different points at nearly the same time, building a time-varying picture of Mars’ magnetosphere and ionosphere that a single probe would miss.
The mission is led and operated by the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, which will command the spacecraft and manage science operations. Rocket Lab built and integrated the vehicles; Blue Origin provides launch services for the ride off Earth, with additional contributions from partners including NASA Goddard and industry and academic teams.
LC-36A is clearly visible all the way down Cocoa beach, the closest being the pier at Jetty Park. Also close to SLC-36 is The Banana River Bridge. This will be a relatively big launch, and if you plan to go to one of the more popular spots, go early.
| Spot | Approx. Distance | Sightline | Amenities | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jetty Park Beach & Pier (Cape Canaveral) | ≈8–10 mi | Clear ocean horizon; pad slightly south of due-east line | Parking (fee), restrooms, concessions | Fills early on major launches; allow extra time for port traffic. |
| SR-401 Observation Turnouts (Port Canaveral North Side) | ≈7–9 mi | Low coastal view across Canaveral harbor | Limited shoulder parking; no facilities | Arrive early; obey posted signs; bring water and sun protection. |
| Cherie Down Park (Cape Canaveral) | ≈9–11 mi | Beachline view; ascent over the ocean | Parking, restrooms, beach access | Neighborhood streets can clog; respect residential parking rules. |
| Cocoa Beach Pier | ≈11–13 mi | Open Atlantic horizon with pier foreground | Food, restrooms, paid parking | Good for photo framing; crowds vary by season and event size. |
| Alan Shepard Park (Cocoa Beach) | ≈12–14 mi | Broad shoreline horizon | Parking (often paid), restrooms, beach access | Arrive early on weekends; check for lot closures during events. |
| Lori Wilson Park (Cocoa Beach) | ≈13–15 mi | Unobstructed shoreline view | Parking, restrooms, boardwalks | Shade helps during long holds; wildlife area nearby. |
| SR-528/520 Causeway Pull-offs (Banana River) | ≈13–17 mi | Low river-level sightline; wide eastern sky | No facilities | Use only legal shoulder areas; stay well off traffic lanes. |
| The Space Bar — Courtyard Titusville | ≈12–16 mi | Farther angle but elevated rooftop view | Food & beverage, restrooms | Reservations may be required for big launches. |
If possible, watch one of the YouTube streams for the latest/greatest information. Things change pretty fast as the countdown heads towards zero, and Will Robinson-Smith on Spaceflight Now or the announcers on Blue Origin’s live stream will keep you up to date.
Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.
The Next Spaceflight mission page is an excellent resource to follow the countdown.
| Streaming Source | Availability |
|---|---|
| Blue Origin YouTube (Official) | Typically ~30 minutes before liftoff |
| Blue Origin — Mission/Live Page | Updates + embedded stream when live |
| NASA Live (if simulcast) | TBD; often ~30–60 minutes prior |
| Spaceflight Now | About one hour prior to liftoff |
| NASASpaceflight | Live coverage one hour prior to launch |
| NextSpaceflight — Launch Page | Comprehensive launch info |
That’s what Blue Origin did last night at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. After an apparently aborted static fire earlier in the evening, the company was able to successfully complete the vital test shortly before 10 pm ET.
The first attempt saw the water-based sound suppression system activate before a brief ignition and quick shutdown. Nonplussed, Blue’s engineers recycled their systems and around 9:59 pm, all seven BE-4 engines were started, with Blue Origin later saying that they “performed nominally with a 38 second duration test including all seven engines operating at 100% thrust for 22 seconds.”
Dave Limp, Blue Origin’s CEO, said later on social media that, “We extended the hotfire duration this time to simulate the landing burn sequence by shutting down the non-gimballed engines after ramping down to 50 percent thrust, then shutting down the outboard gimballed engines while ramping the center engine to 80 percent thrust. This helps us understand fluid interactions between active and inactive engine feedlines during landing.”
Limp went on to add that the NG-2 launch campaign can move on to payload integration and final preparation of the 322-foot tall rocket for flight. That flight is currently slated for NET November 9th, where it will carry two Rocket Lab-built satellites destined for Mars.’
Business is picking up here on the Space Coast, and we’re heading into a very busy stretch on the Eastern Range with missions to Mars, the Moon, low Earth orbit and of course ISS all set to launch here. Best of all, they’ll ride aboard a wide array of rockets and we’ll see some rare birds taking flight from here in Florida.
Those flagship and keystone launches will be mixed in with the regular Starlink and Project Kuiper missions along with some commercial satellite missions. In short, if you like watching rocket launches, the next few months here at The Cape are going to be a treat. Get your bug spray and lawn chair ready.
Regulars who watch pad activity or track transport moves out of Astrotech or the Blue Origin integration facility off Space Commerce Way are already seeing the signs: New Glenn’s first stage is at LC-36 being integrated to GS-2 (New Glenn’s second state) and preparing for an integrated static firing as part of its launch campaign. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is on the manifest again, albeit in lightly written pencil. And NASA’s Artemis II stack is inching toward flight, with some saying that the crew of that mission will be heading to moon as soon as February 2026. Best we can tell, here’s what’s real, what’s rumor, and what’s sitting on the pad right now:
Starting things off, Blue Origin rolled out its GS-1 booster — Never Tell Me The Odds — to Launch Complex 36 on October 8th. This is a sure sign of the impending second flight of Blue’s New Glenn, a 320-foot tall behemoth of a rocket that the company will use to power the multiple missions it is currently working on.
The rollout from Blue’s factory on Exploration Way kicked off final pad integration for the flight. Following completion of that and culminating in a static firing of GS-1, it’s fair to say that the launch campaign has kicked off for NG-2, carrying NASA’s EscaPADE dual spacecraft, bound for Mars orbit to study solar wind interactions, plus a secondary payload for Viasat.
The static fire is expected in the next 7–10 days according to unofficial sources, and that will be the final greenlight before range clearance. The company already has a launch license, so there will be no need to wait for any FAA approvals.
While Blue Origin hasn’t publicly confirmed a date, multiple launch tracking sites now list November 9, 2025, as the likely target. That may change, of course, so stay tuned.
Assuming a November New Glenn flight, eyes will turn from one end of The Cape to the other, for a rare SpaceX Falcon Heavy mission, this time flying Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One under NASA’s CLPS program. The lander will ferry the VIPER lunar rover to the south pole of the Moon.
The mission is notable not just for its science payload and is a critical mission for Astrobotic, the mission’s operator. Their first attempt at a lunar landing was not successful, but after applying lessons learned from its Peregrine Mission One, which launched in January 2024 but experienced an anomaly that prevented it from reaching the Moon.
The window opens in early December, though final pad dates haven’t been published.
Frankly, a delay into 2026 would not be terribly surprising. Nothing on Astrobotic’s or NASA’s websites indicates the lander is in Florida for final launch preparation and payload integration. Add in the current shutdown state of the federal government and you can see this mission shifting right on the calendar fair easily.
With the recent transportation of the Orion capsule stack to the VAB and the SLS rocket that awaits it there, things are literally coming together nicely for America’s first crewed mission beyond low-Earth orbit in over fifty years.
NASA is saying that Artemis II is now tracking toward a no-earlier-than February 2026 launch, with an official “no later than” window of April 2026. The mission will send four astronauts around the Moon aboard Orion and riding atop the SLS Block 1 rocket. This will be the first crewed flight of Orion and will raise the count of crewed American spacecraft systems to three, if one includes the Starliner program.
Artemis II will bring the excitement and the crowds that go along with it, so this is a launch to watch closely.
While Starship continues testing from Boca Chica, SpaceX is working feverishly at LC-39A and is progressing to bring full-stack launches to the Cape.
No launch license yet for Florida flights, and no integration tower ready for Super Heavy booster ops. That said, groundwork is active.
Expect a first Florida-based Starship no earlier than mid-2026, contingent on pad completion and FAA approval. That launch would be key to fulfilling the Artemis HLS lander contract. After Artemis II, all eyes will turn to Artemis II, and there are going to be literally dozens of Starship launches from here and in Boca Chica to the support that mission.
First though, a lot has to happen here at The Cape: Starship must gain approval from the FAA, and secondly, the construction at LC-39A and at Hangar X must be completed. Flight hardware will be manufactured in Texas and transported to the Cape by water, and after all of that, all of the pieces need to be put together into an integrated flight system. Sounds daunting, with a lot of potential potholes, but it is foolish to ever bet against SpaceX and their capability to get things done.
So, mid-2026 optimistically. If there are delays, any time after that. Time will tell, but be sure of this: Starship is coming as NASA and the DoD both want it.
Falcon 9, Atlas V and Vulcan will all stay busy with constellation-building, government missions and commercial missions.
They may be overshadowed for a time by the big missions set to fly from here in Florida, but the bread-and-butter rocket launches will continue apace and will be increasing: SpaceX is looking to raise its Falcon 9 pace from The Cape and launching more Starlink satellites thereby, Vulcan is now operational and with a notable backlog of flights, and New Glenn is not far behind. Let’s not forget the venerable Atlas V, it will be carrying Kuiper Project satellites to orbit at a fair steady pace as well.
So if you like rocket launches, this is going to be like Christmas for you. Good thing it’s almost Christmas!
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
Federal Aviation Administration, March 31, 2025
In a statement released by the company today, Blue said
“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.”
Blue Origin, March 31, 2025
Dave Limp, Blue Origin CEO, said today that
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.
The FAA is responsible for investigating commercial space mishaps under several key U.S. laws and regulations:
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
“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.”
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