Blue Origin scrubbed the second launch of its New Glenn rocket on Sunday afternoon. The decision was due to poor weather conditions, a few minor issues with launch pad equipment, and a cruise ship that strayed too close to the rocket’s planned flight path.
It is not yet clear when the company will attempt the launch again. The Federal Aviation Administration had recently announced restrictions on space launches because of the government shutdown. Blue Origin stated it was working with the FAA to try and enable Sunday’s launch. Following the scrub, the company said it is now reviewing opportunities for the next attempt based on the weather forecast.
This mission is critical for Blue Origin for several reasons. The company is still proving the full reusability of the New Glenn rocket. While the rocket successfully reached orbit on its first launch in January, its booster exploded before it could land on a drone ship. Blue Origin aims to successfully land the booster for the first time on this second flight.
This is also the first commercial mission for New Glenn. The rocket is scheduled to carry NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft on a mission to Mars. It will also carry a tech demonstrator for Viasat, which is part of another NASA project. Proving that New Glenn can safely and cost-effectively deliver payloads to space is crucial for Blue Origin to compete with companies like SpaceX.
Blue Origin originally planned to attempt this second launch earlier this year but delayed it several times. On Sunday, the launch window at Cape Canaveral, Florida opened in the afternoon. The company had a 90-minute window to launch, but the weather and equipment issues caused multiple delays. Just minutes before a final attempt, a cruise ship entered the flight path. Although the ship was expected to clear the area, ongoing weather concerns ultimately led to the launch being scrubbed.