Watch Blue Origin launch its 1st New Glenn rocket early Jan. 16 in a free livestream

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New Glenn is scheduled to lift off during a three-hour window that opens at 1 a.m. ET on Thursday (Jan. 16).

Watch live! Blue Origin to launch New Glenn rocket for first time - YouTube Watch live! Blue Origin to launch New Glenn rocket for first time - YouTube
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UPDATE: Blue Origin scrubbed its planned Jan. 13 launch of New Glenn. The company is now targeting Jan. 16, during a three-hour window that opens at 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT).

Blue Origin plans to launch the debut mission of its powerful New Glenn rocket no earlier than early Monday (Jan. 13) after a delay, and you can watch the action live.

New Glenn is scheduled to lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Monday's wee hours during a three-hour window that opens at 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT), weather permitting.

You can watch the launch live via Blue Origin beginning at 12 a.m. EST (0500 GMT) if Blue Origin sticks to the opening of its launch window. Space.com will carry the feed as well if possible.

The launch was initially scheduled for Jan. 10 and then Jan. 12, but Blue Origin postponed it due to rough offshore weather that could affect a rocket landing on the company's recovery ship in the Atlantic. Similar weather concerns exist for Monday's attempt and Space Force officials forecast the chance of good liftoff conditions are 50% at launch time.

The 320-foot-tall (98 meters) New Glenn, which Blue Origin has been developing for about a decade, features a reusable first stage, like SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

Blue Origin will attempt to recover the first stage on Sunday morning, landing the booster in the Atlantic Ocean on its Landing Platform Vessel 1. That barge is nicknamed Jacklyn, after the mother of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.

New Glenn won't deploy any satellites on Monday's mission, which Blue Origin calls NG-1. But the rocket is carrying a payload: a test version of the company's new "Blue Ring" spacecraft platform.

"The pathfinder will validate Blue Ring’s communications capabilities from orbit to ground," Blue Origin wrote in a mission description last month.

"The mission will also test its in-space telemetry, tracking and command hardware, and ground-based radiometric tracking that will be used on the future Blue Ring production space vehicle," the company added. "The pathfinder will remain onboard New Glenn’s second stage for the duration of an expected six-hour mission."

A Blue Origin Blue Ring payload pathfinder with its massive rocket fairings.

The Blue Origin Blue Ring Pathfinder payload with its massive rocket fairings that will fly on the company's first New Glenn rocket. (Image credit: Blue Origin)
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It's tough to predict what will happen on Monday; debut flights are often preceded by delays, and it's rare for one to go off entirely without a hitch. But NG-1 will be a great learning opportunity for Blue Origin in any case, company representatives said.

"It’s time to fly," Jarrett Jones, SVP for New Glenn, said in a statement on Monday (Jan. 8), when Blue Origin announced its initial target launch date. "No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine and apply that knowledge to our next launch."

Editor's note: This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. EST on Saturday (Jan. 11) to include details about the launch delay to Monday, Jan. 13, for Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Bobcat
    It is important to note that despite never having reached orbital space or orbital velocity that Blue Origin has already gathered in billions of dollars in government contracts. And trying a "moon shot" on your first attempt is not the smartest thing I have ever heard of. This is not all that likely to end well, especially since BO is using 1960's NASA methodologies that are extremely time and resource consuming.
    Reply
  • Tom R.
    For a decade USAF=>USSF has been desperate to replace the former ULA monopoly as well as stop using Russian rocket cores. That is the reason for subsidizing BO, SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and even ULA to get a technical alternative to get NSSL satellites into space. So far only one, maybe two (Rocket Lab), has worked out. This is a good example of tossing money at the wall and seeing if it sticks. But reversing the poor choices made in creating the ULA monopoly and dependence on RD180s has probably been more expensive than any funds that original decision might have saved.
    The silver lining to all of this spending is that now the US has a brand new commercial launch capability which is dominating the market.
    Reply
  • Pingas62
    Tom R. said:
    For a decade USAF=>USSF has been desperate to replace the former ULA monopoly as well as stop using Russian rocket cores. That is the reason for subsidizing BO, SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and even ULA to get a technical alternative to get NSSL satellites into space. So far only one, maybe two (Rocket Lab), has worked out. This is a good example of tossing money at the wall and seeing if it sticks. But reversing the poor choices made in creating the ULA monopoly and dependence on RD180s has probably been more expensive than any funds that original decision might have saved.
    The silver lining to all of this spending is that now the US has a brand new commercial launch capability which is dominating the market.
    Oh Tommy ...your ULA wisdom is Vast !!! Lockheed development of their rocket was way before ULA was created ..the US government "steering" of their engine selection was after the collapse of the Communist USSR, our government was wanting to keep Russian rocket engineering from ending in North Korea...so they were told, why don't you use this engine instead....ULA was created when SpaceX couldn't launch a Banana, and the government needed to keep "payloads" going....today if all these government funds would go to the clear winner....we already be on Mars.
    Reply
  • Philly
    I just hope Blue hasn't gone from extremely methodological and conservative to push as hard as possible and fly as quickly as possible. I mean it seems like doing a few maybe 3 or 4, full wet dress rehearsals. where they fully fuel the NG and take the count down all the way to 0 but don't launch would have made a lot of sense before actually trying to launch. It is very reasonable to expect to find issues with each actual real world, wet dress rehearsal and then to give themselves the proper time to address each issue fully. Simulated computer count downs are NOT the same a real world tests.

    Also a few more hot test fires of the 1st stage would of made sense. Better to find issues on the ground rather than 50 seconds into the 1st flight. Just doing these rather simple tests should give them a huge increase in confidence to launch, and to set expectations for the public and media.

    It seems like some strange artificial goals like, launching before 2025 and launching on Bezos' birthday are actually driving Blue's launch goals rather than sound engineering choices. After 25 years Blue's team isn't going to flip and switch their culture quickly.

    They also set expectations rather high and I have read plenty of articles about this flight is just a formality and NG is going to be flying about 3-4 flights this year with full payloads. Wow, considering Blue has never made it to orbit and this is their 1st 2 stage rocket, that is rather bold and opens the door to plenty of criticism if there is a failure.

    Pushing too hard, also mean short cuts can be taken that compromise sound engineering. "Not knowing what you don't know" is always the hardest problem with brand new systems.
    Reply