Blue Origin said it plans to conduct the second launch of its New Glenn heavy-lift rocket on November 9, marking a key step forward in Jeff Bezos’ company’s effort to establish itself as a competitor in the orbital launch market.
The flight, scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, will come nearly ten months after New Glenn’s maiden launch in January.
During that first mission, the rocket’s second stage successfully reached orbit, but its reusable first stage exploded during its return, preventing a planned ocean landing.
The upcoming mission will be the first to carry commercial payloads, including NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) twin spacecraft bound for Mars, as well as a Viasat technology demonstrator. Blue Origin has adjusted its launch schedule several times this year, having initially aimed for a second flight in late spring.
The company has said the delay reflects its cautious approach to ensuring reliability, particularly with customer hardware now on board. A successful mission would represent an important milestone for New Glenn, which is designed to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur in the heavy-lift segment.
