"Blue Origin, the space company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, was forced on Sunday to postpone the anticipated launch of its New Glenn rocket due to unfavorable weather conditions in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Rain and a ground system issue caused delays that were followed by cumulus cloud cover as the 88-minute launch window closed, leaving managers with the only option of pushing back the rocket's planned second mission."
"When it eventually launches, the 322f (98-meter) New Glenn rocket has the task of sending US space agency Nasa's Escapade twin spacecraft to Mars, in an effort to study the Red Planet's climate history with the eventual hope of human exploration. Blue Origin's launch is to also serve as a key test of whether it can achieve booster recovery, which would prove a technical breakthrough for the company if successful."
"New Glenn's inaugural flight in January was marked as a success, as its payload achieved orbit and successfully performed tests. But its first-stage booster, which was meant to be reusable, did not stick its landing on a platform in the Atlantic, and instead was lost during descent. In its second effort Blue Origin will try once more to recover the booster stage."
Blue Origin postponed a Sunday New Glenn launch after rain, a ground system issue, and cumulus cloud cover closed the 88-minute launch window. The company coordinated with the FAA and targeted another attempt as soon as Wednesday within a 2:50pm–4:17pm Eastern window. New Glenn is tasked with carrying NASA's Escapade twin spacecraft to Mars to study climate history and support eventual human exploration. The flight doubles as a critical test of reusable booster recovery after the inaugural mission reached orbit but lost its first-stage booster at sea. The launch occurs amid intense competition with SpaceX and FAA limits on launches during a government shutdown.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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