Cape Canaveral, FL - Blue Origin’s highly anticipated debut of its New Glenn rocket was abruptly postponed early Monday after a last-minute technical issue halted the countdown.
The 320-foot New Glenn rocket, set to carry a prototype satellite into orbit, was scheduled for liftoff before sunrise from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
However, launch controllers detected an unspecified problem in the final moments of the countdown, forcing them to halt the launch and begin draining the rocket’s fuel.
Blue Origin has not announced a new launch date, stating that more time is needed to resolve the issue.
This delay follows previous setbacks due to rough Atlantic Ocean conditions, which posed challenges for landing the rocket’s first-stage booster on a floating platform.
Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket towers five times higher than Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, which is designed for suborbital flights with paying passengers.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who established Blue Origin 25 years ago, was present in Mission Control for the countdown.
The facility is located near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, roughly 50 miles east of Orlando.
Despite the setback, Bezos remained optimistic, saying Sunday evening, “We’re going to pick ourselves up and keep going.”
The New Glenn rocket represents a major step forward for Blue Origin as it aims to compete in the growing space launch industry.