Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Image credit: Blue Origin

“It’s time to fly,” said Jarrett Jones, SVP, for the Blue Origin New Glenn rocket program.

New Glenn’s first liftoff is now targeted for no earlier than January 10.

The booster’s inaugural mission (NG-1) will lift off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The three-hour launch window opens at 1 a.m. Eastern Time, and is the vehicle’s first National Security Space Launch certification flight. 

Image credit: Blue Origin

The payload is the Blue Ring Pathfinder that will evaluate 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,” Blue Origin notes in a company statement. “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,” said Jones. No amount of ground testing or mission simulations can replace flying this rocket, he said.

Jones added: “No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”

Pre-;liftoff engine test.
Image credit: Blue Origin