Photo: GREGG NEWTON / AFP / Getty Images
Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, called off the debut launch of its New Glenn rocket early Monday (January 13) due to technical issues. The 320-foot rocket was set to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying a prototype satellite. However, an unspecified problem arose in the final minutes of the countdown, forcing the team to halt the launch and drain the rocket's fuel.
The launch had already faced delays due to rough seas, which posed a risk to the planned landing of the rocket's first-stage booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean. Blue Origin has not yet announced a new launch date, stating that more time is needed to resolve the issue.
New Glenn, named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, is significantly larger than Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, which is used for suborbital flights. Bezos, who participated in the countdown from Mission Control near NASA's Kennedy Space Center, expressed determination to continue despite the setback.
"We're going to pick ourselves up and keep going," he said.
The company, founded 25 years ago, aims to advance space exploration and has been working on the New Glenn rocket for several years. The launch was highly anticipated as a significant step forward for Blue Origin's space ambitions.
