Blue Origin's latest rocket launch suffers a last-minute setback.

(CLO) Blue Origin, the space company of billionaire Jeff Bezos, failed in its first launch of the New Glenn rocket from Florida on the morning of January 13 due to unspecified last-minute technical problems.

With its partially reusable booster stage, the New Glenn rocket is ready on the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch was initially scheduled for 1:00 AM Eastern Time (1:00 PM Vietnam time) after the rocket was fully loaded with methane and liquid oxygen fuel.

However, the countdown was delayed multiple times until the launch window closed at 4:00 AM. At 2:20 AM, a Blue Origin spokesperson announced on the live stream that the mission teams were reviewing "a few anomalies" but did not disclose specific details.

The New Glenn rocket on the launch pad at Launch Complex 36, Florida. Photo: Blue Origin

"We are postponing today's launch attempt to fix a subsystem issue on the rocket," said Ariane Cornell, vice president of space systems at Blue Origin. The rocket is currently being defueled.

This launch is the culmination of decades of development and billions of dollars in investment. The mission included a test landing of New Glenn's first booster stage on a floating barge in the Atlantic Ocean, just 10 minutes after liftoff. Meanwhile, the second stage will continue the journey to put the spacecraft into orbit.

Jeff Bezos emphasized the risks of the first flight: "What we're most worried about is the landing of the booster stage. Something could go wrong at any point during the mission on the first flight."

In late 2023, Bezos attempted to revamp Blue Origin by prioritizing the development of the New Glenn and BE-4 engines. He also appointed Dave Limp, a former Amazon executive, as CEO with the goal of fostering a sense of urgency to catch up with Elon Musk's SpaceX.

New Glenn, more than twice as powerful as SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, has signed dozens of launch contracts worth billions of dollars. Bezos expects a major breakthrough with this launch, emphasizing: "If the booster stage lands successfully, that will be a huge achievement."

Ngoc Anh (according to Blue Origin, Reuters, CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/vu-phong-ten-lua-moi-cua-blue-origin-gap-su-co-vao-phut-chot-post330190.html