Blue Origin hot fires New Glenn rocket for first time and scores FAA license for test launch

Blue Origin completed its first New Glenn hotfire test after receiving FAA launch approval.

: Blue Origin conducted a 24-second integrated hotfire test of the New Glenn rocket just hours after the FAA issued a launch license. This test, conducted at Cape Canaveral on Space Launch Complex 36, marked the first time the entire launch vehicle operated as a system. The company is preparing for the NG-1 test flight with a payload simulator and aims for future NASA and commercial launches. The FAA license permits the rocket's first stage to land in the Atlantic, valid for five years.

Blue Origin successfully executed its first integrated hotfire test of the New Glenn rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The test lasted for 24 seconds and was carried out on Launch Complex 36, marking it as a pivotal milestone for the heavy-lift orbital rocket. This significant event took place just hours after Blue Origin received a federal license from the FAA, allowing the maiden launch of New Glenn.

The integrated hotfire test involved New Glenn's first stage equipped with seven BE-4 engines. It concluded a multi-day test campaign that comprised inert functional and tanking tests. The vehicle was prepared with the first and second stages intended for its initial test flight, known as NG-1, and included a payload mass simulator weighing 45,000 pounds.

With the FAA's five-year commercial space license, the company is poised to conduct orbital missions from Florida. This allows the reusable first stage of the New Glenn to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. Future plans involve launches for NASA, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and additional U.S. government customers, with certification for the U.S. Space Force's National Security Space Launch program underway.

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