Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Launch Delayed Due to Technical Issue

Blue Origin’s highly anticipated debut launch of its New Glenn rocket was scrubbed early Monday morning due to a last-minute technical issue, The Associated Press reports.

The 320-foot rocket, poised to carry a prototype satellite from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, was grounded just minutes before its scheduled liftoff.

Launch controllers encountered an unspecified problem that halted the countdown. As the clock stopped, they immediately began draining all fuel from the massive rocket. Blue Origin has not yet set a new launch date, stating that the team requires additional time to diagnose and resolve the issue.

The test flight had already been delayed due to rough seas in the Atlantic, which posed a risk to the company’s plans to land the first-stage booster on a floating platform. This recent setback further adds to the challenges in bringing the new rocket to flight.

The New Glenn, named in honor of the first American to orbit Earth, John Glenn, represents a significant step up from Blue Origin’s existing New Shepard rocket. The New Glenn is five times taller and is designed for more complex missions, including launching satellites and potentially, future lunar missions.

Blue Origin’s founder, Jeff Bezos, was present at Mission Control, located near the company’s rocket factory outside of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Despite the setback, Bezos expressed optimism and determination on Sunday evening, saying, “we’re going to pick ourselves up and keep going.”