Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has made its maiden flight, successfully reaching orbit.
Launch details
The launch took place 16 January 07:03 UTC from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida. Across 12,5 minutes after launch, the upper stage of the rocket went into orbit. This was the main purpose of the NG-1 test flight.
Booster landing attempt
The company also attempted to land the rocket's first stage on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean. During the return, the booster activated three engines for braking, however, the landing failed. Despite this, a large amount of data was collected for future trials.
Landing was an additional purpose of the flight, and the company warned in advance, that its achievement during the first launch is unlikely.
A long way to go
New Glenn was supposed to start in 2020 year, but the development of the BE-4 engines for the rocket's first stage significantly delayed the process.
Additional difficulties arose before the launch:
- Launch, scheduled for 10 January , postponed due to bad weather conditions.
- 13 In January, the launch attempt was canceled due to ice buildup in the rocket's systems.
Competition with SpaceX
New Glenn is designed as a reusable rocket, which can withstand at least 25 launches. This would allow Blue Origin to compete with SpaceX and its Falcon rocket 9.
- New Glenn can deliver 45 tons of cargo into low Earth orbit.
- For comparison, Falcon Heavy can take out up to 64 tons.
The rocket already has customers, including NASA, US government agencies, telecommunications companies, as well as Project Kuiper — Amazon's project to create satellite Internet, which will be a competitor to SpaceX's Starlink.
Future missions and challenges
During the first flight, together with New Glenn, the prototype of the Blue Ring spacecraft was tested, created for transporting cargo to various orbits — from geostationary to interplanetary.
This test will help Blue Origin improve the technology for future flights, in particular, to perform tasks within the framework of the US national security program.
The first flight of New Glenn was an important stage in the development of the company, which plans to implement new technologies in future missions.