Blue Origin postponed the second launch of its New Glenn rocket on Sunday due to unfavorable weather. The company now aims to launch ”no earlier” than Wednesday,November 13th,within a window of 2:50PM and 4:17PM ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The 320-foot-tall New Glenn is carrying NASAS twin ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) probes on their journey to Mars – NASA’s first Mars-bound mission since the launch of Perseverance and Ingenuity in 2020. The ESCAPADE satellites are expected to reach Mars orbit in 2027 to study the planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere.
This launch is also a critical test for New Glenn’s reusable first-stage booster.Blue Origin successfully launched New glenn for the first time in January after multiple delays, but the booster was lost during its attempted landing. A accomplished landing would demonstrate Blue Origin’s capability as a deep-space launch provider,positioning it to compete with SpaceX and United Launch Alliance.
Blue Origin coordinated with the Federal Aviation Management (FAA) to secure a launch window despite recently implemented restrictions prohibiting launches between 6AM and 10PM, enacted November 10th to manage air traffic during the government shutdown. The company anticipates beginning a live webcast of Wednesday’s launch 20 minutes before liftoff.
