Bezos’ Blue Origin cancels inaugural New Glenn launch due to rocket problem.

Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, canceled the launch of its New Glenn rocket due to “a few anomalies” that occurred during the mission countdown on Monday, delaying the first attempt to reach orbit and compete with SpaceX in the satellite launch sector by at least a day.

Towering at 30 stories, the partially reusable New Glenn rocket was stationed on Blue Origin’s launchpad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, prepared for a launch that was originally set for 1:00 am ET (0600 GMT) after being fueled with methane and liquid oxygen propellants. However, as the countdown progressed, Blue Origin continually delayed the launch time, approaching the close of New Glenn’s launch window at 4 am. A representative on a company live stream stated that mission teams were investigating “some irregularities.”

“Blue Origin stated, ‘We are postponing today’s launch attempt to address a vehicle subsystem problem that will extend beyond our launch window.'” “We’re assessing options for our upcoming launch attempt.” The postponement may be a minimum of 24 hours but will probably extend further as the company investigates the issue for the risky, high-stakes mission.

The pinnacle of a ten-year, multi-billion-dollar development process, the flight, whenever it launches, will feature an effort to land New Glenn’s first stage booster on a maritime barge in the Atlantic Ocean 10 minutes post-liftoff, while the rocket’s second stage heads toward orbit. Housed within New Glenn’s payload bay is the initial prototype of Blue Origin’s Blue Ring spacecraft, a versatile vehicle the company intends to market to the Pentagon and private clients for national security and satellite service operations.

Achieving the spacecraft’s designated orbit on its first rocket launch would be an uncommon accomplishment for a space company.  The progression of New Glenn has encompassed three Blue Origin CEOs and encountered multiple setbacks as Elon Musk’s SpaceX evolved into a dominant force in the industry with its reusable Falcon 9, the most frequently launched rocket globally. In late 2023, Bezos accelerated efforts at Blue Origin, focusing on advancing New Glenn and its BE-4 engines. He appointed Dave Limp, a long-time Amazon employee, as CEO, with workers stating that he brought a sense of urgency to rival SpaceX.

New Glenn boasts over double the power of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and has numerous customer launch agreements totaling billions of dollars secured.