Blue Origin canceled the first launch attempt of its New Glenn rocket on January 13th due to an undisclosed technical problem. The launch, designated NG-1, was called off at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral after several countdown clock resets, more than two hours into the launch window.
“We’re standing down on today’s launch attempt to troubleshoot a vehicle subsystem issue that will take us beyond our launch window. We’re reviewing opportunities for our next launch attempt,” the company announced via social media. They did not specify the nature of the issue or provide a revised launch date.
During the webcast, commentators mentioned anomalies under investigation and procedural adjustments for the rocket's first launch. Such issues are common during initial launches. Rescheduling may take several days, considering range and weather constraints. SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch, scheduled for January 15th, impacts the available window for New Glenn.
Blue Origin aimed for a January 6th launch following a successful static-fire test on December 27th. However, factors such as vehicle readiness and sea conditions, crucial for the first-stage's planned ship landing, led to delays. This launch marked Blue Origin's first attempt to launch New Glenn, an orbital rocket in development for over a decade, formally announced in September 2015.
Initial plans targeted a 2020 launch, but this was repeatedly postponed. Consequently, NASA removed its ESCAPADE Mars smallsat mission from NG-1 due to the anticipated delay. The NG-1 payload is the Blue Ring Pathfinder, featuring communications equipment for Blue Origin's Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle.
“Data from the mission will support future production, launch vehicle integration, and on-orbit operations of the Blue Ring space vehicle,” stated Blue Origin in a mission overview, but further details were not provided. Once in its planned elliptical medium Earth orbit, the mission was slated for under six hours.