Blue Origin launches its first New Glenn rocket early January 12th: watch it live

Blue Origin plans to launch the debut mission of its powerful New Glenn rocket with a delay until early Sunday (January 12) at the earliest, and you can watch the action live.

New Glenn is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in the early hours of Sunday during a three-hour window that opens at 1 a.m. EST (06:00 GMT).

You can watch the launch live via Blue Origin about an hour before launch. Space.com will also carry the feed if the company makes it available. The launch was originally scheduled for Jan. 10 but was postponed by Blue Origin due to rough offshore weather that could affect a rocket landing on the company’s recovery ship in the Atlantic.

The 320-foot (98-meter) 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 by landing the launch vehicle on its Landing Platform Ship 1 in the Atlantic Ocean. This barge is nicknamed Jacklyn, after the mother of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.

New Glenn will not deploy satellites on Friday’s mission, which Blue Origin calls NG-1. But the rocket carries 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 Earth,” Blue Origin wrote in a mission description last month.

“The mission will also test its in-space telemetry, tracking and command hardware, as well as ground-based radiometric tracking that will be deployed on the future Blue Ring production spacecraft,” the company added. “The scout will remain aboard New Glenn’s second stage for the duration of what is expected to be a 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, will fly on the company’s first New Glenn rocket. (Image credit: Blue Origin)

It’s hard to predict what will happen on Sunday; Delays are common on first flights and it is rare for a flight to run completely smoothly. But NG-1 will definitely be a great learning opportunity for Blue Origin, company officials said.

“It’s time to fly,” New Glenn SVP Jarrett Jones said in a statement on Monday (January 8) as Blue Origin announced the planned launch date. “No matter what happens, we will learn, refine and apply this knowledge to our next launch.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 1:23 p.m. EST to include details about the launch delay of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to Sunday, January 12th.

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Blue Origin launches its first New Glenn rocket early January 12th: watch it live

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