After nearly a quarter century since its founding, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is finally gearing up to launch an orbital rocket, marking a significant milestone in the company's history and a major challenge to SpaceX's dominance in the launch industry.

The company's towering rocket, called New Glenn, is expected to launch before the end of the year, although an air traffic advisory suggests that the launch may not take place until January 6. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the exact launch date, Blue Origin has made significant progress in preparing for the mission, having received its launch license from federal regulators and successfully conducting a launch dress rehearsal, known as a hot fire test.

The New Glenn rocket, which stands at an impressive 320 feet tall, will be powered by seven Blue Origin-made BE-4 engines, generating over 3.8 million pounds of thrust to propel the rocket away from its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket will carry demonstrator technology for Blue Origin's Blue Ring spacecraft, an orbital transfer vehicle designed to provide transportation, logistics, and satellite servicing.

New Glenn and Blue Ring are just two of several products Blue Origin has been developing to compete in multiple areas of the space industry. The company is ultimately looking to go up against several competitors, including SpaceX, which currently launches the majority of national security and commercial satellite payloads with its Falcon 9 rocket. Blue Origin is also developing lunar landers, private space stations, and other technologies to expand its presence in the industry.

Until now, Blue Origin has been primarily known for its New Shepard suborbital rocket, which carries space tourists and some cargo up to suborbital space and back in brief flights. The successful launch of New Glenn will mark a significant expansion of the company's capabilities and ambitions in the space industry.

If all goes according to plan, New Glenn's booster will return to Earth and land vertically on a floating barge, to be refurbished and reused up to 25 times. This capability will significantly reduce the cost of access to space and increase the efficiency of the launch process. NASA has also tapped Blue Origin to launch twin spacecraft to Mars, although the space agency has decided to remanifest them on a later New Glenn launch due to delays.

In addition to its NASA contract, Blue Origin has signed launch deals with the Space Force, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and other commercial companies, demonstrating the growing demand for its launch services. As the company prepares to enter the competitive launch industry, its success will have significant implications for the future of space exploration and development.

The launch of New Glenn marks a critical moment in the evolution of the space industry, as private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in space technology. As the industry continues to grow and mature, it will be interesting to see how these companies shape the future of space exploration and development.