The debut launch of Blue Origin's first-ever reusable rocket, the New Glenn, was recently confirmed to be coming this October, marking the maiden expedition of its latest spacecraft. This is a massive milestone for the Jeff Bezos-owned private space company, and it also follows a series of delays in the past which was originally planned three years ago.
With this inaugural space mission, Blue Origin will carry NASA and Rocket Lab's payload which is bound for Mars, making it a significant venture for the rocket.
Blue Origin New Glenn Launch Date Confirmed
(Photo : Blue Origin)
A recent update by Blue Origin via X confirms the first official launch of its New Glenn rocket that would take place no earlier than October 13.
However, this announcement came mere days after a recent incident during its testing, with the New Glenn suffering from damages. That being said, Bloomberg also shared that these hardware were meant for its second and third flights.
Blue Origin then confirmed that this does not affect the first official mission of the New Glenn rocket that is coming this fall, marking its debut after almost three years of delays.
The reusable rocket, New Glenn, has two payloads to carry to orbit, with Blue Origin being selected for this mission last year by NASA and Rocket Lab.
This focuses on the ESCAPADE mission Rocket Lab developed, centering on the twin orbiters that will embark on an 11-month journey to Mars. Come September 2025, the ESCAPADE mission will study Mars' magnetosphere and determine the Red Planet's atmospheric activities.
Blue Origin's Reusable Rocket Venture
Almost a decade ago, Blue Origin unveiled its first foray for a fully reusable rocket which is one of its most massive developments to date, the New Glenn spacecraft. It is a towering 270-foot rocket that was made to maximize the space vehicle's application and usage in the commercial space industry, and it is also looking to rival SpaceX's Falcon 9 dominance.
Originally, Bezos and Blue Origin planned for the New Glenn rocket to make its first official launch by late 2021, signifying the availability of this new launch vehicle for commercial missions. However, it was delayed to late 2022, pushing back Blue Origin's plans for the spacecraft, and it was later moved to 2023, and then a schedule speculated for this year.
It was also last year when Blue Origin secured a contract with NASA and Rocket Lab to bring the ESCAPADE mission's payload to orbit where it would make its roughly one-year journey to Mars.
The first official launch and mission of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is finally taking place this October after massive delays, and it will also fulfill the mission of delivering a payload to orbit along the way.
