Jeff Bozos challenge to SpaceX’s Falcon-9 heavy lift rocket, the New Glenn rocket, to make inaugural launch on Sunday
Jeff Bezos’s space venture, Blue Origin, is soon to showcase its answer to the domination of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 heavy lift rocket.
Blue Origin confirmed that Sunday 10 January has been chosen for the inaugural launch of its giant New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
New Glenn’s inaugural mission (NG-1) will be its first National Security Space Launch certification flight for the giant two stage rocket, that stands 30 stories tall and is partially reusable.
Blue Origin New Glenn rocket. Image credit Blue Origin
Inaugural mission
Blue Origin said the payload for this first flight will be the ‘Blue Ring Pathfinder‘ multi-space mobility platform.
This will test Blue Ring’s core flight, ground systems, and operational capabilities as part of the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Orbital Logistics prototype effort.
“Our key objective is to reach orbit safely,” stated Blue Origin. “We know landing the booster on our first try offshore in the Atlantic is ambitious – but we’re going for it.”
“This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it,” added Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn. “But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”
Blue Origin New Glenn rocket. Image credit Blue Origin
Blue Origin intends the New Glenn rocket to be a rival to the heavy payload carrying capacity of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets.
Until now, Blue Origin has launched and landed its much smaller, reusable New Shepard rocket to the brim of Earth’s atmosphere. New Shepard even carried Jeff Bezos and others into outer space back in July 2021.
Meanwhile the US Space Force will be closely examining the NG-1 mission for future national security launches.
Project Kuiper
But if the NG-1 launch is successful, it is also certain that the New Glenn rocket will first be used to launch Amazon’s long-touted broadband internet satellite constellation, known as Project Kuiper, that will eventually rival SpaceX’s Starlink network.
Amazon had in April 2022 signed a rocket deal with three firms to provide heavy-lift launch services for Project Kuiper. These were United Launch Alliance (ULA), Arianespace and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
It has also signed deals with SpaceX.
Project Kuiper‘s initial satellite constellation design includes 3,232 satellites in earth low orbit.
As of January 2025, there are said to be just two test satellites in orbit for Project Kuiper.
Space industry
Jeff Bezos had founded Blue Origin in 2000, just six years after he started Amazon, with the goal of making spaceflight more affordable and more accessible.
A few of his rivals in the industry – most notably Elon Musk and Richard Branson – both started their space ventures around the same time.
Blue Origin has yet to send any cargo into orbit in the 25 years since Bezos founded the company, so it is hoped the NG-1 mission is successful this weekend.
