ORLANDO, Fla. - Blue Origin has postponed the Maiden Flight space mission of its New Glenn rocket.
The launch was originally scheduled for Friday, January 10, between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. However, Blue Origin announced in a post on X that the launch will be pushed to Sunday, January 12, with the same 3-hour time window.
What we know: According to Blue Origin, the launch was postponed due to the high sea state in the Atlantic Ocean, which means the waves are 6-9 meters tall and the sea is rough.
This is a problem because the Atlantic is where Blue Origin planned to land the New Glenn's booster.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted a Part 450 commercial space launch license to Blue Origin, authorizing the maiden flight.
The license is valid for five years and permits Blue Origin to conduct orbital launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Related article: FAA approves Blue Origin's New Glenn for maiden flight
The backstory: Blue Origin, a privately funded aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos, focuses on developing reusable rockets, advancing human spaceflight capabilities, and innovating cutting-edge space technologies.
As of today, Blue Origin has successfully completed nine human spaceflights and 28 flights as part of the New Shepard Program. New Shepard has now flown 47 people to space three of which have flown twice.