New Glenn’s inaugural mission (NG-1) is targeting no earlier than Friday, January 10, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The three-hour launch window opens at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC). NG-1 is our first National Security Space Launch certification flight. The payload is our Blue Ring Pathfinder. It will test Blue Ring’s core flight, ground systems, and operational capabilities as part of the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Orbital Logistics prototype effort.
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. “This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it,” said Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn. “But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”
Blue Origin’s payload for New Glenn’s first mission will carry the company’s Blue Ring Pathfinder and mark the rocket’s first National Security Space Launch certification flight. The encapsulated payload will be integrated onto the launch vehicle following the hotfire. New Glenn will lift off from Blue Origin’s Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The pathfinder was developed by Blue Origin’s In-Space Systems business unit. It will test Blue Ring’s core flight, ground systems, and operational capabilities. NG-1 will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload as part of the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Orbital Logistics prototype effort. DIU funding is helping to enable future Department of Defense missions.
Blue Origin ready for the first launch of New Glenn rocket on Thursday
Blue Origin concluded its test campaign and is ready to launch its New Glenn rocket, the company’s first orbital launch vehicle, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, January 9 from 10:00 pm – 1:45 am PST. The successful test campaign included fueling the massive rocket’s seven engines with liquefied natural gas, liquid oxygen and hydrogen.
“This is a monumental milestone and a glimpse of what’s just around the corner for New Glenn’s first launch,” said Blue Origin’s Jarrett Jones in a statement. “[Friday’s] success proves that our rigorous approach to testing–combined with our incredible tooling and design engineering–is working as intended.”
The New Glenn will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder which is hardware to test the company’s ability to communicate with and control hardware in space, and helps certify the vehicle for future national security missions for the U.S. Space Force.
