The second launch of Blue Origin's partially reusable New Glenn rocket was canceled Sunday due to adverse weather conditions, delaying NASA's latest mission to Mars. Commercial space company owned by Jeff Bezos announced that the next launch window The attempt will be made from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida “no earlier than” Wednesday, November 12, between 2:50 and 4:17 p.m. Eastern Time.
This is a significant launch for the 320-foot tall mega-rocket tasked with sending twin ESCAPADA (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) are heading into space, the first mission to Mars since NASA launched its Perseverance and Ingenuity probes in 2020 to explore the surface of the red planet. The ESCAPADE satellites are scheduled to reach Mars orbit in 2027, where they will measure the planet's magnetic field and atmosphere.
It will also be Blue Origin's last attempt to land the reusable New Glenn first stage booster, which, like SpaceX's Falcon rocket boosters, is designed to land vertically on an offshore platform after launch. While Blue Origin successfully launched New Glenn for the first time in January after several delaysthe launch vehicle was lost during landing. A successful launch and landing will help establish Blue Origin as a deep space launch provider that can compete with established competitors such as SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance.
Blue Origin says it worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to select the latest launch window, although it appears to have been granted an exception new FAA rules which prohibit the launch of commercial rockets from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. This emergency order went into effect on November 10 to ease air traffic congestion during the ongoing government shutdown. If all goes according to plan, a live webcast of New Glenn's second flight will begin 20 minutes before Wednesday's launch.
