Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Scraps New Glenn Liftoff Due To Vehicle Subsystem Issue, Next Launch Date Unclear

Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin canceled its attempt to launch its New Glenn launch vehicle on Monday after an issue was identified with a vehicle subsystem, the company said.

What Happened: The company scrapped Monday’s launch attempt to troubleshoot the issue. The troubleshooting will take the company beyond its three-hour launch window, thereby causing it to scrap it altogether, Blue Origin said in a statement.

The company is now reviewing opportunities for its next launch attempt, it said.

The company on Monday loaded the vehicle with propellant but kept delaying liftoff time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida until it finally announced the plan to call off the flight. It is unclear when the company would attempt to launch it next.

The key objective for the first flight of New Glenn is to reach orbit safely. The company is looking to land the booster of the vehicle in the Atlantic Ocean after launch while the second stage goes into orbit. The company previously said in a statement that the booster landing is “ambitious but we are going for it”

Why It Matters: New Glenn is a reusable heavy-lift rocket named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. The development of the vehicle, expected to compete with SpaceX's Falcon launch vehicle, has been delayed for years.

New Glenn, unlike Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle, can reach the Earth's orbit and beyond. New Shepard, meanwhile, can only reach the edge of space.

New Glenn's first launch, which is expected to include a payload, will also mark the rocket’s first National Security Space Launch certification flight.

Despite the rivalry between himself and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in the space race, Bezos on Monday applauded Musk for his efforts in the field of space travel.

"Elon has been very clear that he's doing this for the public interest and not for his personal gain. And I take him at face value," Bezos told Reuters ahead of Monday’s launch attempt.

Blue Origin's $3 billion NASA contract for lunar landing missions positions it alongside SpaceX in the agency's space exploration strategy. 

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Photo courtesy: Blue Origin