Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin called off the second launch of its New Glenn mega-rocket on Sunday afternoon after facing unfavorable weather conditions, minor equipment issues at the launch pad, and an unexpected intrusion by a cruise ship into the rocket’s flight path.
The company confirmed it will attempt the launch again on Wednesday, November 12, with a launch window between 2:50 p.m. and 4:17 p.m. ET. Blue Origin worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to schedule this new attempt despite recent government shutdown-related restrictions.
This mission is a crucial milestone for Blue Origin as it aims to prove the reusability of the New Glenn rocket. While the first launch in January successfully reached orbit, its booster exploded before landing on the recovery drone ship. The upcoming mission will test whether the booster can land safely and be reused.
It also marks New Glenn’s first commercial mission, carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft to Mars and a Viasat tech demonstrator for another NASA project. Successfully delivering these payloads could strengthen Blue Origin’s competitiveness against Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Related: SpaceX Retires Starship V2 After Successful Final Test Flight
The Sunday launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, was repeatedly delayed due to weather and technical issues. Just minutes before liftoff, a cruise ship entered the flight path, and though it was expected to clear the area in time, worsening weather forced Blue Origin to scrub the mission entirely.
The next attempt will determine if Blue Origin can cement its position as a key player in the rapidly growing commercial space industry.
