Blue Origin’s New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle is ready for its maiden flight. The company has conducted and successfully completed a wet dress rehearsal or a complete run of the rocket launch countdown. According to a report in the New York Times, Blue Origin had to try several countdowns over several hours before finally igniting New Glenn’s seven engines and firing them for 24 seconds. It was successful.
New Glenn’s tanks were filled with fuel, and the rocket was fitted with a 45,000-pound payload mass simulator as if it were actually heading into space. Blue Origin says this is the first time it has operated the vehicle as an integrated system, and New Glenn Senior Vice President Jarrett Jones called the completion of the test a “monumental milestone.” The Federal Aviation Administration has also granted the company a launch license for New Glenn, meaning it is now ready for a full-scale launch.
The company describes New Glenn as “a giant reusable rocket built for bigger things.” He also said that although the first flight will be unmanned, it is “designed with the safety and redundancy necessary for human flight.” The first flight was scheduled to take place in October, carrying two NASA satellites bound for Mars, but the rocket was not ready by that time and had to be scrapped. This will be New Glenn’s first use of the company’s Blue Ring Pathfinder, which is part of the company’s Blue Ring platform and instead provides spacecraft services to customers such as the Department of Defense. will be provided. Blue Origin has not announced a new launch date for the rocket, but it is expected to be the company’s first flight in 2025, and could launch as early as January 6.
