Blue Origin reaches orbit with New Glenn, fumbles first-stage recovery

Jeff Bezos joined the orbital elite with the launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket this morning.

The flight, dubbed NG-1, was beset by delays right up to the launch window opening at 0600 UTC on January 16, 2025. As it was, the T-0 time ended up being 0703 UTC, and the New Glenn rose from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station under the power of its seven BE-4 engines.

New Glenn launches (pic: Blue Origin) – click to enlarge

The primary goal of the mission was to reach orbit. Recovering the first stage would have been a bonus, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. Stage separation occurred approximately three minutes after lift-off, with a pair of BE-3U engines continuing the ascent of the upper stage.

An excited commentator confirmed that three of the first stage's seven BE-4 engines had relit for the descent, but telemetry from the vehicle froze shortly after, and it was later confirmed that the stage had been lost, although the company did not provide any details.

Blue Origin was careful to manage expectations regarding the recovery of the first stage in the run-up to the launch, although it will need to crack that particular nut if it is to achieve the cadence and costs expected. It took SpaceX multiple attempts before landings of the Falcon 9 began to appear routine.

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Failed recovery aside, the mission's primary objective was to reach orbit, and New Glenn achieved that, with the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload reaching its final target orbit. CEO Dave Limp said: "We did it! Orbital. Great night for Team Blue. On to spring and trying again on the landing."

Making orbit on the first attempt is quite an achievement, although the BE-4 engines used by New Glenn's first stage have also seen action on United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur. However, the Blue Origin vehicle is considerably larger and more powerful than the Vulcan, with seven BE-4s powering the first stage compared to the two used by ULA.

With the first launch under its belt and the Blue Ring Pathfinder in orbit and operational, Blue Origin will now focus on upcoming missions for New Glenn. There's Amazon's Project Kuiper, the potential for US National Security launches once certification is complete, and, of course, getting cargo and crewed landers to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program. ®