Blue Origin announces New Glenn launch for January 10

It’s finally happening, Blue Origin has officially announced that it’s targeting January 10 to attempt a flight for the New Glenn, which will also be the first launch for this rocket.

Blue has been preparing this rocket for years and the company has finally assembled it to get a launch date. This first flight is also coming after a recent FAA certification, which allowed the rocket maker to conduct a final burn test for the integrated flight.

New Glenn’s inaugural mission (NG-1) has a three-hour launch window that will open at 1 a.m. EST. It will liftoff from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Station, Florida. For now, no official backup launch opportunities are shared by the company.

The company has been testing the rocket at the Florida facility with custom-built ground and launch support systems.

New Glenn is a 320-foot-tall integrated launch vehicle with two stages. The first stage is designed with reusability featuring seven BE-4 engines.

These are liquid oxygen/liquefied natural gas field oxygen-rich staged combustion engines. Each BE-4s can generate 550,000 lbf thrust at sea level with deep throttle capability.

Blue Origin New Glenn standing vertical at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Station, Florida launch pad (Credit – Blue Origin)

The first stage is designed to land vertically on the droneship named Jacklyn. The stage will cut off after enduring the maximum dynamic pressure. It will boostback and follow the landing trajectory to fire the final burn and land on the droneship.

On the other hand, the second stage will take the mission forward with its two BE-4 engines. The mission will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload to test Blue Ring’s core flight, ground systems, and operational capacity for the Defense Innovation Unit’s Orbital Logistics prototype efforts.

The mission has a key object of reaching the orbit without any damage and trying to land the first stage booster on the droneship.

Blue Origin has finally achieved this launch milestone and we’ll see more exciting things unfold when New Glenn attempts the first flight on January 10.

(source)