First launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket slated for January 10
- Reference: 1736258407
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/01/07/new_glenn_launch_date/
- Source link:
It wasn't quite the end of 2024 as originally envisioned, but there won't be many rocket fanciers grumbling about a slip of a few more days if it means the launch has a greater chance of success.
The [1]inaugural launch is scheduled for no earlier than January 10 from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The three-hour launch window opens at 0600 UTC, and the mission, named NG-1, will be the first National Security Space Launch certification flight.
[2]
The primary goal of the mission is to reach orbit. The rocket's payload is the Blue Ring Pathfinder, intended to demonstrate some of the Blue Ring spacecraft systems. The original plan was to have launched NASA's ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) expedition to Mars. However, with the fueling of the ESCAPADE spacecraft looming in September, the US space agency [3]opted to postpone the trip – a decision that, considering the delays with New Glenn, seems wise in retrospect.
[4]
Blue Origin will also attempt to retrieve the first stage via its sea-based landing platform, [5]Jacklyn . It said: "We know landing the booster on our first try offshore in the Atlantic is ambitious – but we're going for it."
[6]Blue Origin inches closer to the first New Glenn flight
[7]Blue Origin's New Glenn will launch any day now – but it better hurry up
[8]Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin waves bye bye to October 13 ESCAPADE
[9]Blue Origin sets October 13 for first New Glenn ESCAPADE to Mars
In recognition of the challenge of landing a booster successfully on the first attempt, the first stage has been named "So You're Telling Me There's a Chance." Blue Origin boss Dave Limp explained the moniker in a September [10]post on X : "Why? No one has landed a reusable booster on the first try. Yet, we're going for it, and humbly submit having good confidence in landing it. But like I said a couple of weeks ago, if we don't, we'll learn and keep trying until we do."
Reusing the first stage is a key part of the company's business model – the booster is designed for 25 missions, assuming it can be recovered without anything exploding. The first stage of the 98-meter (320-foot) tall rocket is powered by seven BE-4 engines. [11]According to Blue Origin, the rocket is capable of transporting 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) and more than 13 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
New Glenn will not be the first rocket launched with BE-4 engines. United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur uses a pair of the units in its first stage and made its [12]first flight a year ago. However, Blue Origin's New Glenn will be the first BE-4 powered vehicle aiming for recovery from the start. ®
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[1] https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-glenn-launch-targeting-january-10
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z31dtnKFsntpXb-3spxB-gAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/09/blue_origin_escapade_launhc_called_off/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z31dtnKFsntpXb-3spxB-gAAANA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://x.com/davill/status/1867301863772827902
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/30/blue_origin_new_glenn_flight/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/11/blue_origin_new_glenn/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/09/blue_origin_escapade_launhc_called_off/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/27/blue_origin_sets_october_13/
[10] https://x.com/davill/status/1834703746842214468
[11] https://www.blueorigin.com/new-glenn
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/08/vulcan_centaur_launch/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Expected delivery date Jan 10
It may move backward once your order is placed.
they can both F off
as bezo the clown and musktwat are both sucking orange turd cock, they can both fuck off to the moon without a helmet
Busy day
SpaceX Starship IFT-7 is currently due up at around 22:00 UTC the same day.
Re: Busy day
Could be one hell of an exciting day.
1:00-4:00am local time
Why would they schedule their launch in the dead of night from 1:00-4:00am EST before a work day? Even on the west coast that's still 10:00pm to 1:00am. It's not like their test payload is docking with the ISS or going to another planet, it doesn't need to be launched at an exact time. Maybe they don't want publicity for the launch in case something goes wrong?
Re: 1:00-4:00am local time
Convenience? Avoiding other launches that day? Because that's the time they got given?
They might want a night launch for video purposes, or they might want a particular lighting condition for landing.
Myriad reasons, but it's a launch, and a fairly exciting one at that. BO finally going orbital, will be very interesting to watch (even if it's delayed a little further)
Re: 1:00-4:00am local time
It could be something as simple as getting the launch done before the work day starts in the nearby industrial area. That area has to be evacuated when SpaceX is due to land a booster back at LZ-1 or LZ-2 which are just north of the BO pad, so it's likely that it would need to be evacuated for a New Glenn launch which has the potential for a much bigger boom than would happen with a nearly empty Falcon 9 booster.
Re: 1:00-4:00am local time
Why would they schedule their launch in the dead of night
Rocket launches look cooler at night?
Re: 1:00-4:00am local time
Same reason Ridley Scott shot Blade Runner at night and in the rain. They couldn't afford a big enough set.
Lame first stage name. Nearly as bad as Rocket Lab's lame names.