Blue Origin scrubs New Glenn’s maiden flight due to technical glitch

Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, has postponed the inaugural launch of its colossal New Glenn rocket following a technical hitch. The 320-foot (98-metre) rocket was scheduled to lift off early Monday from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying a prototype satellite. However, launch controllers encountered an unspecified issue with the rocket during the final moments of the countdown, leaving insufficient time to proceed.

As soon as the countdown was halted, the team began draining the rocket’s fuel, marking the end of the planned test flight. Blue Origin has not yet announced a revised launch date, stating that further investigation is required to resolve the problem.

This test flight, already delayed due to rough seas, is a significant milestone for the company. The adverse weather conditions previously posed a risk to the planned recovery of the rocket's first-stage booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

The New Glenn rocket, named in honour of astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, stands five times taller than Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. The latter has been used to take paying passengers on suborbital flights from Texas.

Jeff Bezos, who founded Blue Origin 25 years ago, participated in the countdown from Mission Control, situated near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Addressing the challenges, Bezos expressed resilience, stating on Sunday evening, “We’re going to pick ourselves up and keep going.”

While Monday’s setback marks a disappointment, it underscores the complexities of launching a new generation of rockets, particularly one as ambitious as New Glenn, which aims to be a key player in the future of commercial space exploration.

Notably, the milestone escalates the rivalry between Bezos, the world’s second-richest individual, and Musk, who currently holds the top spot. Musk’s SpaceX has firmly established itself as the industry leader with its Falcon 9 rockets, which serve diverse clients, including NASA, the Pentagon, and commercial satellite operators.

(With inputs from AP)