Blue Origin scrubbed its second New Glenn rocket launch Sunday due to weather concerns, launch pad equipment issues, and a cruise ship wandering into the flight path. The mission carries critical stakes for Jeff Bezos' space company as it attempts to prove rocket reusability while delivering its first commercial payloads to compete with SpaceX.
Blue Origin hit another snag in its quest to prove New Glenn can compete with SpaceX's dominance. The company scrubbed Sunday's launch just minutes before liftoff when a cruise ship drifted into the rocket's flight path, capping off a day already plagued by weather concerns and minor launch pad equipment glitches.
The stakes couldn't be higher for Jeff Bezos' space venture. This isn't just another test flight - it's New Glenn's first commercial mission, carrying NASA's ESCAPADE spacecraft destined for Mars along with a Viasat tech demonstrator. More critically, Blue Origin is attempting something it failed to do in January: successfully land the rocket's booster on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
"We are reviewing opportunities for our next launch attempt based on forecasted weather," the company said after Sunday's scrub, though the timing remains murky thanks to FAA launch restrictions triggered by the government shutdown.
The January launch marked a bittersweet debut for New Glenn. While the massive rocket successfully reached orbit - a milestone that took Blue Origin over a decade to achieve - the booster exploded during its attempted ocean landing. That failure highlighted the technical hurdles Blue Origin faces in proving its rockets can be reused, the key to cost-competitive space launches.
Sunday's 90-minute launch window at Cape Canaveral opened at 2:45 p.m. local time, but problems mounted quickly. Weather conditions deteriorated throughout the afternoon, while launch pad equipment required last-minute fixes. Then came the cruise ship - an almost comical setback that underscored how many variables can derail a space launch.
The delays pile pressure on Blue Origin as it tries to carve out market share against SpaceX, which has revolutionized the industry with its reusable Falcon 9 rockets. Elon Musk's company now dominates commercial launches, having perfected booster landings that Blue Origin is still attempting to master.
For NASA, the delay pushes back ESCAPADE's journey to Mars, where the twin spacecraft will study the planet's magnetosphere. The mission represents a crucial test of whether Blue Origin can reliably deliver sensitive government payloads - a market worth billions annually.
