By Joey Roulette
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin said on Monday it is targeting “late spring” for the second launch of its giant New Glenn rocket, as the U.S. FAA closed an investigation into the rocket’s landing failure that followed an otherwise successful debut mission in January.
The two-stage New Glenn rocket launched for the first time in January after years of development delays and successfully placed a satellite in orbit. But afterward, the rocket’s reusable first-stage booster failed in its landing attempt on a vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, triggering an FAA probe.
Blue Origin said in a statement on Monday that the landing failure was “due to our three BE-4 engines not re-igniting properly,” without providing further technical detail.
The company said its investigative report into the landing failure “identified seven corrective actions, focusing on propellant management and engine bleed control improvements, which we’re already addressing.”
“We expect to return to flight in late spring and will attempt to land the booster again,” Blue Origin said.
A statement on Monday from the FAA, which oversees U.S. launch safety matters, confirmed the closing of its review of Blue Origin’s technical probe, saying, “The FAA will verify that Blue Origin implements corrective actions prior to the launch of the New Glenn-2 mission.”
Blue Origin’s New Glenn debut was the company’s first step into Earth’s orbit, a pivotal moment for Bezos’ space ambitions as he tries to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX on multiple fronts – from satellite launches to moon landings to lucrative Pentagon contracts for secretive military space operations.
Weeks after New Glenn’s first launch, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp laid off 10 percent of the company’s 14,000 employees in a move to cut costs and shift New Glenn unit’s focus on rocket production and a swift launch cadence.
(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Mark Porter)
About the Author
