A three-hour launch window opens at 1 a.m. EST on Friday.
NG-1 is the company’s first National Security Space Launch certification flight.
New Glenn will carry the company’s Blue Ring Pathfinder into
space. It will test Blue Ring’s core flight, ground systems, and operational
capabilities as part of the Defense Innovation Unit’s Orbital Logistics
prototype effort.
“Our key objective is to reach orbit safely,” the company
said in a statement on its website.
After launch, the main booster will attempt to land on a
floating platform offshore.
“We know landing the booster on
our first try offshore in the Atlantic is ambitious—but we’re going for it,” the company said.
“This is our first flight, and we’ve prepared rigorously for
it,” said Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn. “But no amount of ground testing or
mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly.
No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our
next launch.”
Meet New Glenn
New Glenn stands more than 320 feet high and features a
seven-meter payload fairing, enabling twice the volume of standard five-meter
class commercial launch systems. The rocket’s reusable first stage aims for a
minimum of 25 missions and will land on Jacklyn, a sea-based platform located
several hundred miles from the launch site. Reusability is integral to
radically reducing cost-per-launch.
The vehicle is powered by seven Blue Origin BE-4 engines,
the most powerful liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled, oxygen-rich staged
combustion engine ever flown. The seven BE-4s generate over 3.8 million pounds
of thrust. The vehicle’s second stage is powered by two BE-3Us, liquid oxygen
(LOX)/liquid hydrogen (LH2) engines.
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