Following a series of delays and setbacks, Blue Origin is gearing up for a critical launch of its New Glenn rocket, which is expected to take place on Thursday, January 16th. The Jeff Bezos-owned space company aims to reach orbit with this launch, a crucial milestone in its mission to shuttle Project Kuiper satellites, equipment, and eventually humans into space.

The New Glenn rocket, initially announced in 2016, has faced numerous delays due to issues with engine development and other technical setbacks. The 320-foot-tall rocket features a reusable first stage powered by Blue Origin's BE-4 engines, which run on liquified natural gas and liquid oxygen. The first stage is designed to detach and autonomously land upright on a sea-based platform, allowing Blue Origin to retrieve and reuse it for future missions.

After separation, New Glenn's upper stage will fire up its BE-3U engines, a less powerful engine that uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, to propel itself into space with its payload. The upper stage is capable of delivering 45 metric tons of cargo into low Earth orbit. For this uncrewed launch, New Glenn will house the Blue Ring Pathfinder, a payload consisting of a communications array, a power system, and a flight computer, which will allow Blue Origin to test its Blue Ring spacecraft.

The Blue Ring spacecraft is designed to support missions with refueling, hosting, data relay, and cloud computing capabilities. A successful launch of New Glenn could make Blue Origin a serious rival to Elon Musk's SpaceX, with both companies competing for government contracts and working to build out internet satellite constellations. SpaceX has been regularly sending Starlink satellites into space, while Blue Origin is set to support Amazon's Project Kuiper initiative.

Earlier this week, Blue Origin scrubbed New Glenn's launch due to a "vehicle subsystem issue." The company has since resolved the issue and is now preparing for its next launch attempt. The three-hour launch window for New Glenn's launch opens at 1AM ET (10PM PT) on Thursday, January 16th, and can be watched via livestream on Blue Origin's website, its X account, and its YouTube channel.

The implications of a successful New Glenn launch are significant, with the potential to further accelerate the commercial space industry's growth. As private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX continue to push the boundaries of space technology, the possibilities for satellite constellations, human spaceflight, and beyond are vast and exciting.

Stay tuned for updates on the New Glenn launch and its implications for the space industry. In the meantime, you can watch a livestream of the launch on Blue Origin's website, its X account, and its YouTube channel.