Earlier today only about 8 hours before the beginning of New Glenn’s launch window, the company reported that they would be delaying the launch by one day to January 13th. The reason is due to sea state conditions which they pointed out are unfavorable for the booster landing.
This is the second time the launch has been delayed by a day or two due to the sea state in the Atlantic. With this being the first New Glenn launch and landing attempt, it’s clear the company wants the best conditions possible in order to land the booster.
Sea State Delays
After a successful hot fire of both the first and second stage, by early this month Blue Origin was practically ready to launch New Glenn. Once the payload was encapsulated, the rocket was rolled back out to the pad and prepared for liftoff. On January 6th we got the first official launch date from the company when they tweeted saying, “Launch Alert | We’re targeting New Glenn’s first launch no earlier than January 10 from LC-36.”
However, one day before on January 9th they tweeted again this time mentioning, “New Glenn Launch Update: We’re shifting our NG-1 launch date to no earlier than January 12 due to a high sea state in the Atlantic where we hope to land our booster. Our three-hour window remains the same, opening Sunday at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC).”
When they mention the high sea state they are referring to the conditions off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic where the landing platform Jackyln will be located and the booster landing will take place. Specifically, the reports from the company indicate high winds and rougher seas than they would prefer for this maiden flight. Obviously landing a massive rocket booster out at sea is a complex and precise task, and something Blue Origin is willing to delay a mission for in order to up their chances of success.
This leads up to earlier today when they tweeted again highlighting, “New Glenn Launch Update: Sea state conditions are still unfavorable for booster landing. We’re shifting our NG-1 launch date by one day to no earlier than January 13. Our three-hour window remains the same, opening Monday at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC).”
This is basically an identical delay as the one before and maybe not the last depending on the weather and conditions in the coming days. With this being the maiden flight, Blue Origin is going to take its time and won’t launch unless everything is just about perfect. This also includes your more typical launch and flight conditions when the rocket eventually gets to propellant load, countdown, etc. In other words, as of right now the launch window is set to open very early on Monday morning but could easily be delayed again.
On the bright side, this time when the company announced the new sea state delay, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp tweeted saying, “Weather (including sea states) looks much more favorable for this new window.” This is a promising sign and increases the chances of an actual liftoff and landing attempt.
Nearly a week ago Jacklyn left the port and was well underway heading to the landing location. While the goal is to land the booster first try, the company has been trying to manage expectations. A few days ago Dave Limp was quoted saying, “Pointy end up! New Glenn is vertical at LC-36 in Florida. Just need the sea to settle down a bit. Some context on our 1/12 target launch date—our objective is to reach orbit. Anything beyond that is a bonus. Landing our booster offshore is ambitious—but we’re going for it. No matter what, we will learn a lot” he said.
The Senior Vice President for New Glenn commented, “This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it. But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch” he said. In an official statement from the company, they had a similar message. They were quoted saying, “Our key objective is to reach orbit safely. We know landing the booster on our first try offshore in the Atlantic is ambitious—but we’re going for it.”
The name of the booster is “So You’re Telling Me There’s A Chance” in reference to the booster landing. A big goal of the company but not the end of the world if it doesn’t land on the first try. Something we should get to watch in only the next few days.
Flight Profile
With this being a maiden flight, the flight profile is quite unique. In summary, it starts with New Glenn lifting off from Launch Complex 36. Following separation, the first stage autonomously descends toward Jacklyn, a landing platform located several hundred miles downrange in the Atlantic. Meanwhile, the two BE-3U engines ignite, propelling New Glenn’s second stage into space. Notably, the fairing separates and the Blue Ring Pathfinder will remain affixed to the New Glenn Standard Payload Adapter. After completion of the mission profile, the second stage will be safed and inerted, which is compliant with NASA’s Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices.
Taking a closer look at the official mission timeline provided by the company, we can get a good idea of when each mission milestone will take place. Starting 4.5 hours before liftoff the stage 2 hydrogen propellant load begins. Over the next hour, the LNG and liquid oxygen propellant load will begin for the booster.
One hour before liftoff and the launch broadcast will begin. It will be interesting to see what views Blue Origin provides on this maiden flight. As the broadcast is starting the propellant load should be coming to an end. With 20 minutes left until launch, there will be a weather check followed by a Go-Poll. At T-4 minutes the terminal count will begin.
The water deluge will turn on at T-20 seconds and then engine ignition at T-5.6 seconds. Finally, the rocket will liftoff at T-0. A minute and 39 seconds in and the rocket will reach Max Q. Past T+3 minutes and we’ll see Main Engine Cut Off, then stage separation and second stage ignition. At that point, the booster will begin making its way back toward the ground for landing.
The booster uses four fins and two strakes to help during this process. Each of the four fins is about the size of a car—roughly 16 feet (4.9 meters) long at the base and sticking out 6.5 feet (2 meters) from the body of the rocket. They’re responsible for steering the rocket on ascent and descent. Most of the structure is aluminum, which is protected from reentry heating by a durable fabric thermal protection system invented by Blue Origin and referred to as ‘Comet.’ The aerodynamic forces pushing on the fin during flight are roughly equal to the weight of a 737 aircraft.
The two strakes are each about the size of an F-16 wing and carrying 175,000 pounds of lift when the stage re-enters for landing on Jacklyn. The strake is designed to accommodate two inches of thermal expansion during the different phases of flight.
Lastly, there is the reaction control system. This system corrects New Glenn’s orientation in zero-g and just before landing on Jacklyn. Together, the thrusters and the forward fins are essential to the booster’s reusability.
As for the ship itself, there will be no humans aboard Jacklyn when the landing is attempted. Its 380 feet (116 meters) long and 150 feet (46 meters) wide. The total Landing Area Diameter is 200 feet (61 meters), the same as New Shepard.
At T+7 min, 17sec, the booster reentry burn will begin and last 28 seconds. About a minute later the landing burn will begin and last 36 seconds before the booster touches down on the ship. We’ll then get a big break between mission milestones with the second ignition of the upper stage scheduled to happen nearly an hour after launch. Nearly two hours in the Stage 2 Orientation Maneuver will occur. If everything goes as planned, Blue Origin marks the end of Mission nearly 6 hours after liftoff.
In order for all of this to occur, a lot of things need to go perfectly. The mission is ambitious but Blue Origin is confident and eager to get this vehicle off the ground.
As partially mentioned before, the NG-1 mission will carry the Blue Ring Pathfinder and mark the vehicle’s first National Security Space Launch certification flight. The Blue Ring Pathfinder includes a communications array, power systems, and a flight computer affixed to a secondary payload adapter. The payload will also test its in-space telemetry, tracking and command hardware, and ground-based radiometric tracking that will be used on the future Blue Ring production space vehicle.
Over the next 24 hours, we should hear more from the company either regarding additional delays or promising weather and a push toward launch. This mission has been a long time coming and is a big deal for Blue Origin. If successful, they will have an operational heavy-lift orbital class rocket ready to start launching and increasing its cadence. Something to look forward to in the near future.
Conclusion
Blue Origin has been trying to launch New Glenn but high sea states in the Atlantic have now caused two delays. The company wants the best conditions possible when attempting the first New Glenn booster landing out at sea. As of right now the next launch window opens early in the morning on Monday the 13th.