The Blue Origin New Glenn rocket sits at Launch Complex 36 ahead of its scheduled launch early in the morning of January 13 to the Cape Canaveral space station.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Blue Origin by Jeff Bezos on Monday canceled the maiden launch of its New Glenn rocket following last-minute problems with the vehicle, a blow to its bid to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the satellite space.
The launch was scheduled to take place at Cape Canaveral in Florida at 1 a.m. ET.
“We are abandoning today’s launch attempt to resolve a vehicle subsystem issue that will take us beyond our launch window,” Ariane Cornell, Blue Origin’s vice president of space systems, said. during a live broadcast of the planned takeoff.
She added that Blue Origin is exploring opportunities for the next launch attempt. During its Monday mission, the rocket was ambitiously poised to land a first stage booster on a ship off the Atlantic Ocean for future reuse, with the rocket’s second stage remaining in orbit.
“The launch team is now working to empty the tank and secure the vehicle. From there, we’ll evaluate what other things we want to do during our downtime, and that’s what will guide the launch date the next launch opportunity to be,” Cornell noted Monday.
Standing 320 feet tall, the partially reusable New Glenn rocket faced numerous delays in its liftoff time before the final decision to cancel its launch. The mission’s initial takeoff was postponed several times until Monday due to conditions at sea unfavorable for the booster landing.
Delays, technical difficulties and failures are not uncommon during inaugural rocket missions. The Blue Origin project stands out for its focus on sustainability.
“As part of a long-term vision, we really need to protect this planet. And the role of space technologies,” Cornell said. “That’s also why we started with reusable rockets and engines.”
This breaking news story is currently being updated.
