Update, 11/9, 3:30 PM — The launch of New Glenn was scrubbed after a lengthy hold due to weather conditions. Blue Origin says it is evaluating opportunities for its next launch window.
Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, is preparing to launch its New Glenn partially reusable orbital rocket for the second time. The heavy-lift vehicle is designed to carry nearly 50 tons to low Earth orbit and will be carrying the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission for NASA. The mission aims to study the magnetic field of Mars and its effect on the space around the planet. Liftoff will occur from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
New Glenn’s launch window opens today, November 9, at 2:45 PM ET, or 11:45 AM PT, and Blue Origin will begin a webcast 45 minutes before launch. The ESCAPADE payload will ultimately head to Mars orbit. The flight also serves as a second qualifying mission for the National Security Space Launch program, representing a step toward allowing New Glenn to carry sensitive payloads for the U.S. government.
Blue Origin will also attempt to land the first stage of its rocket, an effort the company failed to achieve on the vehicle’s first-ever launch in January. By succeeding, Blue Origin would become the second company to land an orbital rocket stage, following SpaceX. The initial attempt at landing the booster failed when telemetry was lost from the stage after its entry burn. The landing platform targeted by New Glenn’s first stage is Jacklyn, an autonomous barge manufactured by Blue Origin in 2024.
Based on a chart shared by Blue Origin, the New Glenn launch could be visible as far north as North Carolina and as far northwest as Alabama. Jacklyn, the autonomous drone barge, will be stationed 375 miles east of Cape Canaveral in the Atlantic Ocean.