Watch Blue Origin launch its first New Glenn rocket [Update: launched]

Blue Origin will make its third attempt to launch its first New Glenn rocket no earlier than 1:00 A.M. ET Thursday. With weather once again a concern, we’ll have to see if we get into the countdown or if the company will pull the plug early this evening.

Update: Blue Origin sends first New Glenn rocket into orbit

Important Launch Info

Launch Window Open: 1:00 A.M. ET

Launch Window Closes: 4:00 A.M. ET

Current Liftoff Time: 2:03 A.M. ET

Weather: 60% chance of violation

Propellent Loading: Complete

Updates

All Times E.T.

2:18 A.M. – Host confirms booster was lost after relighting its engines for reentry burn.

2:16 A.M. – The second stage has successfully made it to orbit. Still no word on booster, likely did not survive the landing.

2:13 A.M. – T+10 minutes, we should be coming up to Booster landing burn, second stage has a few minutes left in burn.

2:12 A.M. – Launch controller confirms data is coming from both stages, must be a live stream glitch.

2:11 A.M. – Booster reentry burn. Telemetry has halted for Booster.

2:09 A.M. – Booster engine chill.

2:07 A.M. – The booster is now on its way to Jacklyn, Blue Origin’s landing platform.

2:06 A.M. – MECO. Stage separation. Ignition on both second stage engines.

2:05 A.M. – Max-Q. Engine chill on the second stage has begun.

2:04 A.M. – T+1 minute, all signs look good.

2:03 A.M – Liftoff! Cleared the tower.

2:02 A.M. – T- 1 minute. Range Green.

2:01 A.M. – New Glenn in on internal power.

1:59 A.M. – Terminal count.

1:58 A.M. – T-5 minutes.

1:55 A.M. – Launch director has given the GO for launch.

1:53 A.M. – T-10 minutes, preparing for a Go/No-Go poll.

1:35 A.M. – Host shares that the weather and rocket are looking good for launch this morning. Also, while the count is on, Blue Origin is still waiting for the boat to clear the range.

1:29 A.M. – Count has restarted at T-34 minutes. New T-0 time is now 2:03 A.M. ET.

1:28 A.M. – Hold is NOT PLANNED, apparently a boat has entered the restricted sea space. Go/No-Go poll is likely at the T-10 minute mark.

1:25 A.M. – This hold is likely planned, teams are expecting a Go/No-Go poll by mission controllers.

1:24 A.M. – New hold at T-11:03.

1:17 A.M. – Live coverage has begun.

1:10 A.M. – Count has restarted, new T-0 set for ~1:35 A.M. ET.

12:46 A.M. – Blue Origin states hold is for “BE-4 chill in.” New T-0 time should come soon.

12:40 A.M. – A hold is in place on the launch livestream at T-20:50.

12:12 A.M. – Blue Origin’s livestream is beginning, live coverage will now not begin until 20 minutes before liftoff.

12:02 A.M. – Within the T-1 hour point of liftoff, no stream has been scheduled or began by Blue Origin, signaling we are already likely delayed.

11:54 P.M. – The rocket is now fully fueled according to Blue Origin.

9:00 P.M. – Blue Origin confirmed propellent loading is underway for tonight’s launch attempt.

5:58 P.M – In a statement to the press, Blue Origin shares that the rocket looks good for tonight’s launch attempt, however, weather will be the main concern. If no launch tonight, next attempt will be Friday morning, same launch window.

Second Attempt

6:47 P.M. – Blue Origin has confirmed a new launch attempt tonight, or early tomorrow morning depending on how you look at it. The company stated that poor weather is likely to delay the launch to another day, but they will attempt otherwise.

6:32 P.M – We are tracking a potential wet dress rehearsal or second launch attempt. Stand by for updates as we find them.

First Attempt

2:10 A.M. – Scrub has been made official due to “launch system subsystem.” No new launch date was given.

2:04 A.M. – Unofficial reports of a scrub from local reporters.

2:03 A.M. – The launch clock has been removed from the stream… maybe this is the end for the night?

2:59 A.M. – Webcast hosts confirm teams are still working on several issues, but no one has said what those might be.

2:55 A.M. – Don’t you go nowhere, we are at T-20 minutes!

2:38 A.M. – Aaaaaaaand… we’re back. T-38 minutes.

2:28 A.M.– It’s your favorite time of the count… T-20 minutes and counting!

2:25 A.M. – “Teams are working around multiple anomalies.” Host also mentioned they are working on “work arounds.”

2:17 A.M. – Reminder that Blue Origin’s launch window is open until 4:00 A.M..

2:13 A.M – Back to T-35 minutes, you were missed my old friend.

2:11 A.M. – Nothing new about the rocket, but I’ve decided to brew another cup of coffee.

2:07 A.M. – Another T-20 update… did you think I’d forget about you? Never <3

1:59 A.M. – Welp.. third time is not the charm, clock back to T-28 minutes. No reason.

1:57 A.M. – T-10 minutes and counting, no reports of anything wrong, but cannot confirm anything.

1:52 A.M. – T-15 minutes and counting, no new updates on the rocket.

1:35 A.M. – Delays are expected, what wasn’t, but I guess should have, was Blue Origin’s lack of information as to what is happening with the rocket.

1:34 A.M. – Clock back up to T-32 minutes, once again no information given as to why.

1:32 A.M. – T-20 minutes Déjà vu, still no reason for the delay and since they don’t share details, unable to confirm if there are any issues arising.

1:22 A.M. – We’re back at T-30 minutes, hosts share that they are going through final comms and rocket systems checks. However, that doesn’t make a lot of sense as we were just at T-30 and they were waiting to do this later in the count.

1:15 A.M. – Clock updated to T-37 minutes, no reason given for the delay

1:13 A.M. – SpaceX’s Elon Musk wishes Blue Origin good luck on the launch.

1:10 A.M. – T-20 minutes, no updates on the rocket’s status but there is no known issues stated.

1:00 A.M. – T-30 minutes and counting, hosts have not shared of any concerns that could delay the launch at the moment.

12:53 A.M. – Hosts confirm propellent loading is complete and in “conditioning” mode, topping off tanks as propellent boils off.

12:50 A.M. – T-40 minutes and counting towards launch, confirming a 1:30 A.M. launch time.

12:42 A.M. – Hosts sets the bar that tonight’s goal is to safely reach orbit, showing they’re confident in a nominal launch.

12:30 A.M. – Hosted webcast had begun, no earlier than 1:30 A.M. launch time likely.

12:16 A.M. – Blue Origin’s official webcast has begun, approximately 15 minutes late. Potentially meaning a liftoff time of 1:15 A.M. – 1:30 A.M..

12:14 A.M. – With no Blue Origin stream live at the moment, reports that the launch date has delayed are likely true.

About the launch

Blue Origin is attempting to launch its first New Glenn rocket from LC-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The company is also hoping for its first orbital rocket booster landing at sea with the very same mission; however, it doesn’t seem 100% confident in its success.

Like any first launch, the stakes are lower than normal. Teams will be working on problems they’ve likely never seen before, so delays are possible. Also, the rocket will be in a state it has never been in before either, so anything is possible – including failures.

Inside the payload bay will be a Blue Ring Pathfinder, a test instrument that could be used as a future satellite bus, space tug, or rideshare kick stage. Blue Origin is hoping that this will be another big business not just for the company but for New Glenn as it strives to compete against SpaceX.

This will hopefully be the first of a handful of New Glenn launches in 2025, the rest being more pathfinders, this time for the company’s Blue Moon lunar lander, Amazon Kuiper satellites, and NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars.

But first, the company has to get its rocket off the ground.