Blue Origin Set for Second Attempt at Launching Massive New Glenn Rocket

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Blue Origin is preparing for another attempt to launch its massive New Glenn rocket as early as Thursday, following a last-minute cancellation due to ice buildup in critica

The 320-foot (98-meter) rocket was scheduled to lift off early Monday carrying a prototype satellite. However, ice formed in a purge line essential to powering some of the rocket’s hydraulic systems, and mission controllers ran out of time to resolve the issue, according to the company.

Blue Origin, founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, further delayed the launch due to an unfavorable weather forecast for Cape Canaveral on Tuesday and a scheduled SpaceX moon mission on Wednesday. The test flight had already faced setbacks due to rough sea conditions, which posed challenges for landing the rocket’s first-stage booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

Named in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn stands five times taller than Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which transports paying passengers to the edge of space from Texas.

Bezos, who established Blue Origin 25 years ago, was present at Mission Control near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during Monday’s countdown. Despite the delay, he remains optimistic, stating over the weekend, “No matter what happens, we’re going to pick ourselves up and keep going.”

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