Blue Origin’s highly anticipated New Glenn rocket had to postpone its first flight to November. The rocket was initially prepared to be launched in October; however, encountered technical and financial problems led to a change in plans. According to the initial agreement with NASA, New Glenn was set to launch two spacecrafts to Mars during the launch window starting on 13 October. However, NASA had to postpone this mission until spring 2025.
The postponement occurred due to major failures during test phases and issues discovered during the rocket’s safety tests. According to Bloomberg, the planned October launch would have moved the process of reaching Mars orbit to September 2025. However, new launch dates could potentially extend this timeframe even further.
New Glenn’s First Certification Flight for National Security Will Take Place
With the delay of the first flight, New Glenn will now undertake a certification flight in November for the Space Force as part of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. This flight will help the rocket obtain the necessary certifications to carry larger national security payloads. Blue Origin is expected to gain the authority to carry national security payloads following this successful transition. Creating new timelines and closely monitoring developments for space missions will be critically important in this process.