Blue Origin’s first two New Glenn launch windows Friday and Sunday got postponed amid rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean. But wave heights are forecast to subside — and the new 321-foot rocket’s maiden mission is now targeted for liftoff early Monday morning.
“Weather (including sea states) looks much more favorable for this new window,” Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said in a tweet.
Blue Origin crews now hope to launch the historic New Glenn maiden mission during a three-hour window extending from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Monday from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
After stage separation, the New Glenn first stage will descend and try to land hundreds of miles offshore atop the drone ship Jacklyn, named for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ mother. To Limp’s point, the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts “significant seas heights will lower to around 5-6 feet” for Monday’s booster recovery attempt.
There should be a 90% chance of “go for launch” weather from the Cape, the squadron reported, with thick cloud layers posing a meteorological threat.
“The NG-1 mission will carry our Blue Ring Pathfinder and mark the vehicle’s first National Security Space Launch certification flight. Blue Ring Pathfinder includes a communications array, power systems, and a flight computer affixed to a secondary payload adapter,” a Blue Origin mission overview said.
“The payload will also test its in-space telemetry, tracking and command hardware, and ground-based radiometric tracking that will be used on the future Blue Ring production space vehicle,” the overview said.
Check back for live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team launch coverage updates on this page, starting about two hours before the launch window opens. When Blue Origin’s live webcast begins about 75 minutes before liftoff, look for it posted below next to our countdown clock.
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Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Blue Origin launch overnight: What to know before 3rd New Glenn attempt