Blue Origin ready for second New Glenn rocket launch with booster landing attempt off Florida coast
Blue Origin is targeting Sunday at 2:51 p.m. ET to launch NASA’s twin satellite mission to Mars. The liftoff will mark the second for the heavy lift rocket and feature a landing attempt on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast.
The New Glenn rocket fairing with the NASA and ESCAPADE logos in the clean room. (Credit: Blue Origin/NASA)
Blue Origin is gearing up for the second launch of its New Glenn rocket this weekend, with excitement guaranteed as Jeff Bezos' company plans to land its booster on a ship at sea.
The mission, known as New Glenn-2 (NG-2), is set to launch on Sunday at 2:51 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, sending NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) twin spacecraft onward to Mars.
According to NASA, the ESCAPADE spacecraft is designed to study the solar wind’s interaction with Mars' atmosphere, providing new clues about the Red Planet’s escaping atmosphere.
While Blue Origin has launched its smaller reusable rocket New Shepard 36 times from West Texas, this marks the second-ever launch of its larger New Glenn rocket.
In January, New Glenn successfully reached orbit for the first time after blasting off from Launch Complex 36 in Florida. However, the rocket booster was lost before Blue Origin could attempt a landing on its ship, Jacklyn, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Landing and reusing the New Glenn booster is a key part of Blue Origin’s plan to reduce launch costs and increase launch cadence — a business method already proven successful by SpaceX.
Blue Origin CEO David Limp wrote on X that the goal of NG-2 is to get ESCAPADE safely to orbit and to land the booster.
While the primary mission is to successfully send ESCAPADE toward Mars, all eyes will be on the booster landing. Even if Blue Origin gets close but doesn't "stick" the landing, it's guaranteed to be a heart-pounding event.
The graphic provided by Blue Origin shows the flight profile and landing sequence of New Glenn for NG-2.
It took Blue Origin’s competitor, SpaceX, four attempts before successfully landing its first booster on a drone ship. The failed attempts all ended in spectacular explosions before SpaceX was successful.
“What if we don't stick the landing? That's ok. We've got several more New Glenn boosters already in production,” Limp said.
Florida to break yearly launch record
In addition to the excitement of a booster landing attempt, another planned launch this weekend by SpaceX will help Florida inch closer to topping its yearly launch record.
Florida’s Space Coast has supported 91 launches this year. Florida Today reports 94 launches will top the previous state record.
SpaceX plans to launch Starlink satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. Blue Origin’s launch will tie the previous record of 93 rocket launches with nearly two months to go this year.
United Launch Alliance has not announced a new launch window after scrubbing a launch attempt earlier this week.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has contributed to the majority of these launches, with 87 this year.
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