Blue Origin's biggest rocket fires up for maiden launch
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's space exploration company, has successfully completed the first hotfire test of its biggest rocket, the New Glenn. The test took place at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The milestone comes just hours after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave the green light for the rocket's first-ever launch.
Hotfire test: A monumental milestone
The New Glenn rocket's seven-engine hotfire test lasted for 24 seconds, making it the first time the entire launch vehicle worked as an integrated system. Jarrett Jones, Blue Origin's Senior Vice President for New Glenn, called this achievement a "monumental milestone and a glimpse of what's just around the corner for New Glenn's first launch." The successful static firing of the rocket's first stage BE-4 engines wrapped up a multi-day test campaign.
FAA grants Blue Origin commercial space license
Notably, the hotfire test comes shortly after the FAA issued a commercial space license to Blue Origin, authorizing the maiden launch of New Glenn. The FAA confirmed that Blue Origin had met all the safety, environmental, and other licensing requirements. The license allows Blue Origin to conduct orbital missions from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with the reusable New Glenn first stage landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
New Glenn's 1st mission: The Blue Ring Pathfinder
The maiden test flight of the New Glenn rocket, dubbed NG-1, will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder. This is a demonstrator for Blue Origin's multi-mission space mobility platform to deliver payloads to geostationary orbit (GEO), cislunar, and interplanetary space destinations. Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, took to social media network X to express his excitement about the upcoming launch saying all that remains is to "mate our encapsulated payload...and then LAUNCH!"
New Glenn: A towering feat of engineering
The New Glenn rocket towers over 98 meters and has a reusable first stage capable of flying 25 missions. Its seven BE-4 engines are the most powerful liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled staged combustion engines to ever fly. The hotfire test was a first for the New Glenn launch system, including first seven-engine operations, integrated tanking demonstration, LNG/LOX fill for the rocket's first stage, and chilled helium operations for the second stage.
