Blue Origin’s New Glenn heavy rocket burned through its propulsion engines and was cleared for its first launch

Late last night, Blue Origin’s new heavy rocket, New Glenn, conducted static fire tests of all seven propulsion engines. The flame raged for 24 seconds, 13 of which reached full thrust. All New Glenn systems showed full readiness for the first flight, which seems to be just days away.

Image source: Blue Origin

For Blue Origin and its owner, Jeff Bezos, 2024 has become one of the busiest years in terms of preparing the rocket for its first launch. This event for the company created 25 years ago was planned back in 2021, and further lag behind the schedule was unacceptable.

A few days ago, the company received a long-awaited license from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing rocket launches in Florida for the next five years, as well as launching reusable first stages on barges in the ocean. Launches will take place from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

«This is a monumental milestone and evidence that New Glenn’s first launch is just around the corner,” said Jarrett Jones, senior vice president of the New Glenn program. “Today’s success proves that our rigorous approach to testing, combined with our incredible equipment and engineering design, works as intended.”

The company has not disclosed the launch date for the first flight, called NG-1. However, there is an entry warning that the airspace will be closed for the New Glenn missile launch on January 6 between 0:10 and 4:45 am local time, with the possibility of a backup launch at the same time the next day.

Blue Origin had hoped to launch its first New Glenn rocket in 2024 and stuck to that schedule until December, when it revealed details about the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload. The payload replaced NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars Smallsat mission, which was canceled in September. The agency then concluded that the rocket would not be ready for launch before the mission’s launch window closed in mid-October. Thus, an early prototype of the Blue Ring ship will go on its first flight, on which some on-board equipment, software, communications, and the like will be tested.

Today, the New Glenn rocket will be taken from the launch pad to the assembly shop, where the Blue Ring will be installed as a payload. We are waiting for January.