Blue Origin, SpaceX's 'Space Rival,' Postpones Rocket Launch

New Glenn with NASA Spacecraft Onboard
Launch Halted Due to Thick Clouds
"New Launch Date Uncertain Amid U.S. Shutdown"

On the 9th (local time), Blue Origin's 'New Glenn' rocket is on standby at the Florida Cape Canaveral Space Force Station after the launch was canceled due to bad weather. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos and a rival to Elon Musk's SpaceX in the "space race," has postponed its rocket launch due to weather issues.

According to Blue Origin's live online broadcast on the 9th (local time), the "New Glenn" rocket, which was carrying NASA's twin spacecraft for Mars exploration, was preparing for launch at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. However, the countdown was halted due to thick cloud cover.

The super-heavy New Glenn rocket, approximately 98 meters tall, was set to head into orbit carrying two spacecraft for NASA's mission called "ESCAPADE."

ESCAPADE, which studies Mars, is tasked with investigating how the solar wind interacts with Mars' magnetic environment and how this interaction accelerates the loss of the Martian atmosphere, using two identical unmanned spacecraft. The twin spacecraft will simultaneously observe from different locations around Mars and accumulate data.

New Glenn is Blue Origin's core rocket developed for space exploration plans. After years of development delays, it successfully reached orbit during its first test flight in mid-January. However, the rocket failed to successfully land and recover its first-stage booster during the January flight.

This project drew significant attention as it marked the first attempt by New Glenn to carry out a NASA mission. Blue Origin, led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is competing with Musk's SpaceX in spacecraft development, and a successful launch was expected to serve as a milestone demonstrating its technological capabilities.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Blue Origin's new launch schedule has not yet been set. The NYT added that the prolonged federal government shutdown, caused by partisan standoffs in the United States, led the Department of Transportation to restrict space launches as part of measures to alleviate transportation congestion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.