Blue Origin's Next Big Shot: What You Need to Know About New Glenn's Second Launch
Blue Origin is gearing up for its second attempt at launching the New Glenn rocket, with liftoff scheduled for Sunday, November 9. The company's latest test flight has been months in the making, and it's aiming to overcome some of the hurdles that plagued its first launch.
The key takeaway here is that Blue Origin will be attempting a booster recovery again, this time targeting a propulsive landing on a barge called Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean. Last time around, the company lost the booster during descent, but they've since made improvements to their engine bleed control systems and are hoping for better luck this time.
The rocket's payload is also getting some attention - it will be carrying NASA's ESCAPADE mission, a $80 million twin-probe experiment designed to study Mars' magnetic environment. The probes were originally set to launch on the first New Glenn flight in October 2024, but were pulled at the last minute due to concerns about the unproven rocket.
For Blue Origin, this launch is a make-or-break moment. They need to demonstrate that their big rocket can handle deep-space missions and recover its boosters reliably. If they succeed, it could put New Glenn on the map as a major player in the heavy-lift launch market - but failure would further undermine their readiness.
The stakes are high, with Blue Origin facing stiff competition from established players like United Launch Alliance and SpaceX. Meanwhile, NASA is looking to New Glenn for its next big science mission, one that could shape the future of lunar exploration.
So what's at stake here? For Blue Origin, it's about validating their technology and proving themselves as a viable launch provider. And for NASA, it's about getting a foothold on Mars - with the Artemis 5 mission scheduled to take astronauts to the Red Planet in the near future. The world is watching, and the clock is ticking. Will New Glenn live up to its promise? Only time will tell.
Blue Origin is gearing up for its second attempt at launching the New Glenn rocket, with liftoff scheduled for Sunday, November 9. The company's latest test flight has been months in the making, and it's aiming to overcome some of the hurdles that plagued its first launch.
The key takeaway here is that Blue Origin will be attempting a booster recovery again, this time targeting a propulsive landing on a barge called Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean. Last time around, the company lost the booster during descent, but they've since made improvements to their engine bleed control systems and are hoping for better luck this time.
The rocket's payload is also getting some attention - it will be carrying NASA's ESCAPADE mission, a $80 million twin-probe experiment designed to study Mars' magnetic environment. The probes were originally set to launch on the first New Glenn flight in October 2024, but were pulled at the last minute due to concerns about the unproven rocket.
For Blue Origin, this launch is a make-or-break moment. They need to demonstrate that their big rocket can handle deep-space missions and recover its boosters reliably. If they succeed, it could put New Glenn on the map as a major player in the heavy-lift launch market - but failure would further undermine their readiness.
The stakes are high, with Blue Origin facing stiff competition from established players like United Launch Alliance and SpaceX. Meanwhile, NASA is looking to New Glenn for its next big science mission, one that could shape the future of lunar exploration.
So what's at stake here? For Blue Origin, it's about validating their technology and proving themselves as a viable launch provider. And for NASA, it's about getting a foothold on Mars - with the Artemis 5 mission scheduled to take astronauts to the Red Planet in the near future. The world is watching, and the clock is ticking. Will New Glenn live up to its promise? Only time will tell.
they're putting everything on the line with this second launch, trying to iron out those kinks from the first try 
and let's be real, $80 million doesn't go unnoticed - nasa's ESCAPADE mission is a big deal, and if new glenn nails it, it could be a major game-changer for space exploration 
if they succeed, cool, we got another player in the launch game but if they fail, no biggie lol. gotta admit, $80 million twin-probe experiment on mars is pretty sweet tho 
they're literally riding on the success of one launch, if that fails they're donezo 
and what's with nasa being so secretive about the mars mission? $80 million for 2 probes is a lot of cash 
but i guess if it works out they'll be all set for lunar exploration soon 
. The fact that they're trying again with a booster recovery is a huge step forward, fingers crossed they get it right this time 
. And can we talk about the payload? $80 million twin-probe experiment for Mars' magnetic environment? That's some serious science 
. But let's be real, failure would kinda be on par with... well, not getting off the ground 
. The competition from SpaceX and ULA is super tough, but I think Blue Origin's got this 
. We need to see some serious tech wizardry go down here!
and I love the fact that NASA's all in on this mission too, Mars exploration is like, the ultimate goal, right? 
so fingers crossed, let's get some good news out of this one 
and this time they're really pushing it with a booster recovery attempt 
the stakes are HIGH for them btw, if they fail they'll be like "what even happened?" lol. but seriously though, if they make it happen, new glenn is gonna be a major player in the launch game 
nasa is counting on it too, and let's not forget about the ESCAPADE mission 
it's like, whoa! $80 mil twin-probe experiment on mars? that's no joke