How to watch Blue Origin’s inaugural New Glenn launch

As of early Saturday afternoon, Blue Origin is still on for launching its inaugural New Glenn rocket early Monday morning on the East Coast. While some of you won’t want to stay up to watch the launch, I’m sure the hardcore among you will want to; here’s how to watch Blue Origin’s first New Glenn launch online.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Blue Origin’s first New Glenn launch

Official New Glenn launch stream

Blue Origin shared that it will be going live one hour ahead of the rocket’s first liftoff. Currently, the launch time is set to take place at the opening of Blue Origin’s three-hour launch window, which is 1:00 A.M. ET (12:00 A.M. CT and 10:00 P.M. PT).

However, I would expect the launch to push at least a little bit into that window. Inaugural launches can be a marathon of troubles that the launch team needs to solve because of the nature of being the first launch attempt. There are many ways for a rocket launch to go wrong, but only one way for it to go right. So keep that in mind when planning the night; if by T-1 hour you don’t see a stream, don’t assume it’s canceled until Blue Origin says so themselves.

It looks like Blue Origin will be providing live coverage of New Glenn’s first launch both on YouTube and X. The coverage will be hosted by Ariane Cornell, VP of In-Space Operations, and Denisse Aranda, Principal Contamination Control Engineer.

While New Shepard live streams have taken on a more sales-pitch vibe, it will be interesting to see how New Glenn streams are. Unlike New Shepard, there is a very small chance that a customer for New Glenn will purchase a ride on it due to the launch coverage, as most of its customers are satellite manufacturers or governments.

Either way, expect an inspirational message from Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos sometime during the stream.

Unofficial New Glenn launch streams

If you’re one of the hardcore spaceflight watchers and don’t want to wait until an hour before the launch for live commentary, there will be plenty of unofficial livestreams available that will likely be live several hours before the launch to keep you entertained.

Two that we recommend are NASASpaceflight and Everyday Astronaut. Both will offer the ability to gain insight into New Glenn itself and get your questions answered.

About New Glenn’s first launch

New Glenn, Blue Origin’s orbital rocket, is a heavy-lift launcher with a reusable first-stage booster. For a few years now, Blue Origin has been saying the launch of this rocket was near, but it wasn’t until late 2024 that we saw real signs that the launch could happen soon.

There is no commercial payload on board and it will serve as a pathfinder mission for the rocket and the first certification missions for the Space Force. At least two are required before the Space Force can begin assigning Blue Origin its share of national security missions, which could be worth billions of dollars in the long run.

The payload fairings aren’t empty; however, inside is a flight demonstration mission for Blue Origin’s Blue Ring. Blue Ring is the company’s design as a potential satellite bus it could sell to commercial or government customers. The pathfinder hardware could also be used for spacecraft of all kinds, including potential commercial space stations.

After a successful liftoff, Blue Origin will be attempting to land its first stage on a landing platform out at sea. A barge turned space asset will be out in the Atlantic Ocean, hoping that it either lands on the barge or aborts before it gets anywhere close.

Not to steal SpaceX’s mission goals, but whatever happens during tonight’s launch, it’s guaranteed to keep you entertained.