The rocket company run by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is ready to launch its New Glenn rocket, the company’s first orbital launch vehicle, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The seven engines of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket roared to life Friday, concluding an extensive test campaign on Florida's Space Coast of the 320-foot-tall rocket ahead of its maiden flight.
“This is a monumental milestone and a glimpse of what’s just around the corner for New Glenn’s first launch,” said Blue Origin’s Jarrett Jones in a statement. “[Friday’s] success proves that our rigorous approach to testing–combined with our incredible tooling and design engineering–is working as intended.”
Blue Origin said the test campaign, which included a dress rehearsal of launch day and included fueling the massive rocket with liquefied natural gas, liquid oxygen and hydrogen, met all objectives and marked the final major test ahead of launch.
Next stop launch pic.twitter.com/GQFz4XxEt5
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) December 28, 2024
While the company has not officially announced a launch date, public advisories show Blue Origin could attempt to launch as early as Monday.
New Glenn will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36, home to Atlas rockets that sent Pioneer, Surveyor, and Mariner probes on scientific missions in our solar system during the 1960s and 70s.
Bezos announced his plans to launch from Florida’s Space Coast back in 2015, and since then has built and developed a rocket manufacturing facility just outside Kennedy Space Center and refurbished the historic pad for New Glenn launches.
For its first flight, New Glenn will carry what it calls the Blue Ring Pathfinder -- hardware to test the company’s ability to communicate with and control hardware in space. The test will also help certify the vehicle for future national security missions for the U.S. Space Force.
Blue Origin said it has future missions scheduled for paying customers, carrying both commercial and government payloads.
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