Blue Origin set for first launch of giant New Glenn rocket

Cape Canaveral: Blue Origin is finally ready to launch its New Glenn rocket this Sunday. After 25 years in the making, this is a big deal for Jeff Bezos’s company. The rocket is named after astronaut John Glenn and stands tall at 320 feet, about the height of a 32-story building.

The launch is set for 1:00 am local time, and the excitement is palpable. Blue Origin’s CEO, Dave Limp, shared some cool photos of the rocket, calling for everyone to get ready. This mission, called NG-1, is a direct challenge to SpaceX, which has been the dominant player in the space launch game with its Falcon rockets.

If all goes well, Blue Origin will try to land the rocket’s first stage on a drone ship named Jacklyn, named after Bezos’s mom. This will be their first attempt at landing on the ocean, while SpaceX has been doing it for a while now. The upper stage of the rocket will carry a prototype spaceship funded by the Defense Department for a six-hour test flight.

Reaching orbit is the main goal, but recovering the booster would be a nice bonus. New Glenn is much bigger than SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and is designed to carry heavier payloads. Blue Origin has already lined up contracts with NASA for Mars missions and plans to support a satellite internet project to compete with Starlink.

While SpaceX is currently leading the pack, Bezos has a vision of moving heavy industry into space to help protect Earth. He founded Blue Origin in 2000, taking a more cautious approach compared to Musk’s rapid development style. If New Glenn succeeds, it could provide valuable backup for the U.S. government in space missions.