Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is preparing to launch an orbital rocket for the first time, some 25 years after it was founded. This will be the company’s first foray into the competitive launch market, which is now dominated by SpaceX.
The tall rocket, known as New Glenn, will be launched before the year ends, according to company leaders. However, according to an air traffic advisory published last week, Blue Origin might not launch before January 6.
In any case, the business has little more to do in the way of pre-launch testing or documentation: Last Thursday, federal authorities granted Blue Origin a five-year launch license for New Glenn. The business successfully carried out a hot fire test, a dress rehearsal for the debut, that same day. According to Blue Origin CEO David Limp, the only task remaining on the checklist is attaching the fairing, which transports the rocket’s payload.
Seven BE-4 engines built by Blue Origin will start up when the rocket eventually takes off, producing more than 3.8 million pounds of thrust that will carry it away from its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket, which stands 320 feet tall, will transport prototype technology for Blue Origin’s Blue Ring spacecraft, an orbital transfer vehicle intended to facilitate satellite servicing, logistics, and transportation.
Blue Origin has been creating a number of products to compete in several space-related markets, including New Glenn and Blue Ring. In the end, the business wants to compete with a number of rivals, not just SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which already launched the majority of commercial and national security satellite payloads. These rivals are working on private space stations, lunar landers, and other projects.
Thus far, Blue Origin has primarily gained recognition for its New Shepard suborbital rocket, which transports space travelers and a small amount of cargo into suborbital space and back in short trips.
If everything goes according to plan, New Glenn’s booster will land vertically on a floating barge upon its return to Earth, where it will be repaired and put to use up to 25 times. Additionally, NASA contracted Blue Origin to send twin spacecraft to Mars. Originally, the satellites were scheduled to fly on this first mission, but the space agency chose to re-manifest them on a subsequent New Glenn launch after the October launch was postponed. In addition, Blue Origin has agreements for launches with the Space Force, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and other private businesses.
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