When is the New Glenn launch? Watch Blue Origin coverage of rocket
USA Today • • science
Key Points:
- Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is set for its third launch on Sunday, April 19, from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, with a launch window from 6:45 to 8:45 a.m. ET.
- The mission will deploy broadband satellites for AST SpaceMobile, featuring the large BlueBird 7 satellite, and aims to reuse the first-stage booster from its previous launch, marking a key step in booster reusability.
- Standing about 320 feet tall, New Glenn is one of the world's largest heavy-lift rockets and is central to Jeff Bezos's plans to compete with SpaceX in the commercial space market and support Amazon's LEO broadband network.
- Blue Origin successfully completed a critical preflight hot fire test, and the company will livestream the launch on its website and social media platform X starting about 30 minutes before liftoff.
- Beyond this mission, New Glenn could potentially launch Blue Origin's lunar lander by 2026 and expand operations to California's Vandenberg Space Force Base in collaboration with the U.S. Space Force.
