Blue Origin's New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle is now ready for its first flight. The company has carried out, and successfully completed — a wet dress rehearsal or a full run-through of the rocket launch countdown. As The New York Times Blue Origin reportedly had to try the countdown several times over a few hours, but the company managed to power up and fire all seven of New Glenn's engines for 24 seconds at the end.
New Glenn's tanks were filled with fuel and the rocket was equipped with a 45,000-pound payload mass simulator as if it were actually headed to space. Blue Origin says this is the first time it has operated the vehicle as an integrated system, and New Glenn Senior Vice President Jarrett Jones called the completion of the test a “monumental milestone.” The Federal Aviation Administration has also <a target="_blank" data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/bezos-blue-origin-gets-faa-license-its-first-new-glenn-rocket-launch-2024-12-27/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:granted;cpos:4;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>granted the company a launch license for New Glenn, meaning it is now truly ready to go.
The company describes New Glenn as a “giant reusable rocket built for bigger things.” It also said it was “designed with the safety and redundancy necessary for human flying,” although its inaugural flight will be uncrewed. Its first flight was to take place in October with two NASA satellites heading to Mars, but it had to be scrapped because the rocket was not ready by then. New Glenn will now fly for the first time with the company's Blue Ring Pathfinder, part of its Blue Ring platform that will offer spacecraft services to customers such as the Pentagon. While Blue Origin did not announce a new launch date for the rocket, it is expected to be the company's first flight by 2025 and could take place as soon as January 6th.
