Jeff Bezos-founded space company Blue Origin is set to launch its first-ever orbital rocket since its inception almost 25 years ago, entering the competitive rocket launch industry predominantly controlled by Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Blue Origin in a blog said it will launch New Glenn's inaugural mission (NG-1) on Friday, Jan. 10. This milestone comes at a time when the competition between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has intensified, escalating their rivalry in the business world.
New Glenn will be launched from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, Blue Origin said.
The three-hour launch window opens at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC).
NG-1 is Blue Origin's first-ever National Security Space Launch certification flight.
🚀 Launch Alert | We're targeting New Glenn's first launch no earlier than January 10 from LC-36. Read more: https://t.co/sqiw0t6qhp pic.twitter.com/B9ex8heWSc
January 7, 2025The rocket will launch with the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload.
“Our key objective is to reach orbit safely. We know landing the booster on our first try offshore in the Atlantic is ambitious—but we're going for it,” Blue Origin said.
On Dec. 28, 2024, even before Blue Origin confirmed the launch date, Jeff Bezos shared a video of the rocket undergoing a hot fire test.
“Next stop launch”, he wrote, building the excitement of space enthusiasts.
Next stop launch pic.twitter.com/GQFz4XxEt5
December 28, 2024Blue Origin vs SpaceX: Battle Of Billionaires
With the foray of Blue Origin into the rocket launching space, dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, the Tesla boss will see another billionaire competing with him in this segment.
The New Glenn rocket was announced in 2016 and a launch was planned in 2020. However, subsequent delays meant SpaceX continued to dominate this space.
Musk's SpaceX has created solid ground for itself with its Falcon 9 rockets, serving top clients like NASA and the Pentagon. The company also launches payloads for commercial satellite operators.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 has set the industry standard, completing 132 launches in 2024 with an impressive 99% success rate.
Named after astronaut John Glenn, New Glenn is likely to pose a challenge for Falcon 9. The huge rocket, standing at 320 feet is immensely larger than Musk's 230-foot Falcon 9, which will enable it to carry larger and heavier payloads.
New Glenn's engines use liquid natural gas in place of kerosene, promising cleaner combustion and requiring fewer engines than Falcon 9.
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