Blue Origin's debut New Glenn rocket blasts off from Florida

16/1/2025 15:16

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin loaded its New Glenn rocket with propellants on Thursday morning for its debut launch from Florida, its second attempt this week to get the rocket into space and rival SpaceX in the satellite launch market.



Thirty stories tall with a reusable first stage filled with liquid oxygen and methane, New Glenn stood on Blue Origin's launchpad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station under cloudy skies for its inaugural launch, scheduled between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. ET.



Blue Origin set the rocket's liftoff at 1:35 a.m. ET after pausing the clock for roughly 30 minutes, as U.S. Space Force launch weather models showed a 60% chance of weather forcing a scrub to another day.



"In thrust we trust," said Blue Origin VP Ariane Cornell on a company live stream, adding weather conditions seemed favorable for launch.



More delays of a few minutes were expected to push liftoff later into its launch window. A wayward boat had drifted into a keep-out zone in the ocean, triggering a pause in the countdown.