Blue Origin is targeting New Glenn’s inaugural mission (NG-1) for no earlier than Friday, January 10. It will launch from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, the company announced on Monday.
The three-hour launch window opens at 1 a.m. ET (10 p.m. PT on Thursday, January 9).
🚀 Launch Alert | We’re targeting New Glenn’s first launch no earlier than January 10 from LC-36. Read more: https://t.co/sqiw0t6qhp pic.twitter.com/B9ex8heWSc
— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) January 7, 2025
Blue Origin said that its key objective for the upcoming mission is to “reach orbit safely.”
Similar to how SpaceX brings home the first stage of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, Blue Origin will also attempt to land New Glenn’s first stage on a platform floating off the coast of Florida, an effort it described as “ambitious.”
The entire New Glenn rocket stands more than 98 meters (320 feet) tall and features a seven-meter payload fairing, enabling twice the volume of standard five-meter class commercial launch systems. Its reusable first stage is powered by seven Blue Origin BE-4 engines that create 3.85 million pounds of thrust at launch — more than double that of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
Up till now, Blue Origin has only performed launches of its much less powerful sub-orbital New Shepard rocket, mainly for tourism rides. The launch of its New Glenn rocket will mark the company’s entry into a select group of spaceflight companies capable of heavy-lift orbital launches.
Jarrett Jones, senior vice president of New Glenn, said: “This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it. But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”
The NG-1 mission will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload, which will test key technologies for the Blue Ring spacecraft. The payload includes a communications array, power system, and flight computer, which will be evaluated during a six-hour mission while attached to the rocket’s second stage.
The Blue Ring spacecraft can be described as a mobile service station for other spacecraft, helping to solve critical challenges in space exploration by increasing mobility and infrastructure in orbit. The spacecraft’s ability to maneuver to multiple orbits (including Earth and moon), deploy and host payloads, and perform onboard computing and communications should pave the way for groundbreaking missions for a range of customers.
