There’s a new rocket that’s never flown waiting on a launchpad in Florida. It’s called New Glenn.
On Monday, the vehicle’s seven powerful engines are set to ignite, lifting it to orbit for the first time. There’s a lot on the line for this flight.
New Glenn is built by Blue Origin, a private spaceflight company started by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Compared with SpaceX and some other companies, the rocket is a bit of a latecomer in the private space race. Monday’s test flight would get the company off the starting block and onto the track.
If the mission succeeds, New Glenn would immediately provide an additional option for companies and government agencies to launch large satellites and spacecraft.
It would also suggest that Mr. Bezos’ company could finally grow into a credible competitor to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
But if a major failure occurs during the flight, it could strand payloads for NASA, Amazon and other customers on the ground for months or maybe even years.
Here’s what else you need to know about Monday’s flight:
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When the launch is: The flight, which Blue Origin calls NG-1, has a launch window that starts at 1 a.m. Eastern on Monday and lasts for three hours. The rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If weather and technical issues cause the launch to be called off, Blue Origin can try again every night through Thursday. Blue Origin announced on X at 8 p.m. that it had started to fill the rocket with propellants.
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How to watch the launch: Blue Origin will begin a live video stream of launch preparations on its website and its YouTube channel one hour before the launch. If the liftoff occurs at the beginning of the launch window at 1 a.m. Eastern time, Blue Origin will start its video stream at midnight. The Times will provide updates on launch and livestream timing should they change.
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Why the launch is occurring so late: The Federal Aviation Administration dictated that. “That launch window, it interferes less with aviation,” Mr. Bezos said in an interview.
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About the rocket: New Glenn is about the height of the Statue of Liberty without its base. The rocket has a larger payload capacity than any rocket currently in operation. On Monday’s flight, it is carrying a prototype of Blue Ring, a vehicle Blue Origin is developing to move payloads to different orbits after they go to space.
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Blue Origin’s stretch goal: New Glenn’s booster stage is intended to be reusable. Blue Origin will try to land the booster on a barge floating in the Atlantic Ocean. The company knows this is a difficult feat to pull off during a rocket’s debut flight, and named the booster So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance.