NEW DELHI — Blue
Origin on Saturday announced that its massive new rocket New Glenn has
successfully completed a crucial test, paving the way for its launch.
Known as the hotfire test, it was the first test of the
integrated launch vehicle. During the test, the vehicle remained firmly clamped
to the launchpad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
“The seven-engine hotfire lasted 24 seconds and marked the
first time we operated the entire flight vehicle as an integrated system,” the
Jeff Bezos-owned company said. The hotfire, which was the final major milestone
before the first flight, included numerous inert functional and tanking tests.
“Next stop launch,” said Bezos, while posting a video of the
engines firing.
Meanwhile, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on
Friday issued a commercial space launch license for New Glenn’s launch.
However, the company is yet to reveal the date of the first
flight of New Glenn.
New Glenn’s debut launch was originally targeted for 2020,
but delays in the BE-4's development have postponed it repeatedly. Officials at
Blue Origin had promised to launch this year. It was expected to launch in
October with two small Mars-bound orbiters for NASA. It was scrubbed when it
became clear Blue Origin would not be ready in time.
Standing 98 metres tall, New Glenn is the largest and most
powerful rocket ever built and launched.
It is named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first
American astronaut to orbit Earth, completing three orbits in 1962.
The rocket, which has been on the launchpad for weeks, will
now be rolled back to the hangar for technicians to install the payload -- a
prototype of a spacecraft called Blue Ring that Blue Origin is developing to
move other spacecraft around on Earth.
"Well, all we have left to do is mate our encapsulated
payload...and then LAUNCH!" Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin, posted on X.
