Posted on 01/16/2025 6:38:22 AM PST by Red Badger
New Glenn at liftoff during the NG-1 mission.
Image credit: Blue Origin
At 2:03 am EST on January 16, Blue Origin’s New Glenn lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket is 98 meters (322 feet) tall, among the tallest around, and this first launch was a demonstration as part of the US Space Force’s National Security Space Launch program. It tested the Blue Ring spacecraft platform as well as the flight and ground system.
This first launch was also a test for the reusable first stage, which was supposed to land on a barge, the Landing Platform Vessel, floating in the Atlantic. Landing offshore on its first try was a tall order, and in fact, the booster was given a funny name: So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance.
“I’m incredibly proud New Glenn achieved orbit on its first attempt,” Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, said in a statement. “We knew landing our booster, So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance, on the first try was an ambitious goal. We’ll learn a lot from today and try again at our next launch this spring. Thank you to all of Team Blue for this incredible milestone.”
Blue Origin already has several customers lined up, including one of Jeff Bezos’ other enterprises, Amazon's Project Kuiper – a megaconstellation of satellites with over 3,000 of them. Megaconstellations have been criticized significantly for the increasing light pollution and radio interference they bring to Earth, as well as the increasing chance of a collision in orbit between so many new satellites.
New Glenn will also be used to launch Blue Moon, the lunar lander that is supposed to alternate with SpaceX’s Starship during the Artemis mission that will bring back people on the Moon.
"Today marks a new era for Blue Origin and for commercial space," said Jarrett Jones, Senior Vice President, New Glenn. "We're focused on ramping our launch cadence and manufacturing rates. My heartfelt thanks to everyone at Blue Origin for the tremendous amount of work in making today's success possible, and to our customers and the space community for their continuous support. We felt that immensely today."
Good deal. Competition is much needed in the launch arena.,
I watched the launch of spaceship going to Jupiter last September. It was a huge ticket. We were in the prime viewing area costing $250 per person,about 3 miles from launch at cape canaveral. We could beel the strong vibrations of the launch 3 miles away.
Jarrett Jones, Senior VP, checks the DEI boxes for NASA that SpaceX/Musk doesn’t? Might be too late and not matter now…
Did it explain where the first booster stage did land
If not on the platform?
I am guessing we are supposed to surmise that the first stage did not land properly on the barge and is now an expensive artificial reef.
NASA astronauts naught still trapped on ISS. Great leadership under Billy Nelson eh? Thankfully he’ll be gone soon. Not much success since shuttle ended.
The rocket’s reusable first stage booster was due to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean after separating from its second stage, but failed to make that landing, Cornell confirmed. Telemetry from the booster blacked out minutes after liftoff. “We did in fact lose the booster,” Cornell said.5 hours ago
Bezos’ Blue Origin reaches orbit in first New Glenn launch ...
Reuters
https://www.reuters.com ›
The rocket’s reusable first stage booster was due to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean after separating from its second stage, but failed to make that landing, Cornell confirmed. Telemetry from the booster blacked out minutes after liftoff. “We did in fact lose the booster,” Cornell said.5 hours ago
Bezos’ Blue Origin reaches orbit in first New Glenn launch ...
Reuters
https://www.reuters.com ›
The rocket’s reusable first stage booster was due to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean after separating from its second stage, but failed to make that landing, Cornell confirmed. Telemetry from the booster blacked out minutes after liftoff. “We did in fact lose the booster,” Cornell said.5 hours ago
Bezos’ Blue Origin reaches orbit in first New Glenn launch ...
Reuters
https://www.reuters.com ›
I wonder if Blue Origins had to do a study to determine the risk of the booster harming a whale or a shark.
It’s a learning moment for them. This is rocket surgery after all.............
😊. They “sell” tickets now? Wow! Glad you got to experience it. I worked at KSC for 24 yrs on shuttle. Best vibrations were between the Launch Control Center and the VAB. Way the buildings sit enhanced the feeling. 🚀👍
Maybe Elon can give Jeff some tips on how to do it. 😊🚀👍
Thank you. All in all it was an amazing feat.
I stayed up and watched it. The first stage didn’t make it, but Starship’s first try didn’t either.
I couldn’t stand the two half-wit moderators, talking over the Mission Control officials.
I did like that their screen display was in MILES, MPH, and FEET. That was refreshing.
Starship flight 7 later today, 4:00PM Central Time.
“We did in fact lose the booster,” Cornell said.5 hours ago
Will it take another 5 years to build more engines
“So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance” is a take off on Iain M Banks jokey Culture ship names and as such is lame.
However, Blue Origin’s New Glenn was awarded the “Direct of Geosynchronous Orbit” contract, in advance of its success, by the DOD because its fairing is much larger than Starship’s fairing, and because StarShip is not able to reach geosynchronous orbit without a refueling.
I know rocket surgery is hard. I worked on the design of one that had plenty of problems in testing and after deployment. A few blowed up real good.
As Edison once said (supposedly), “We have learned 10,000 ways to not make a lightbulb.”..............
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