Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin set for historic 320-foot New Glenn rocket launch today; here's how to watch it live

The Blue Origin launch team is proceeding with New Glenn propellant loading. (Image: Blue Origin)

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin is set to launch its first orbital rocket, New Glenn, today, aiming to rival SpaceX. Standing at 320 feet, this rocket signifies Blue Origin’s entry into the commercial space race, nearly 25 years after the company’s founding.

Launch Details and How to Watch
The New Glenn rocket, named after astronaut John Glenn, will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch window begins at 1:00 am GMT (Monday). Weather delays pushed the launch from its original schedule.

New Glenns inaugural mission is targeting January 13. Our three-hour launch window opens Monday at 1 a.m. EST (0600 UTC).Join us here for the webcast hosted by Ariane Cornell and Denisse Aranda beginning an hour before launch! pic.twitter.com/SkuvkZ3m8s
Blue Origin (@blueorigin) January 12, 2025

For those eager to watch, Blue Origin will livestream the event on its official website and social media channels, offering a front-row seat to this milestone mission.

Mission Objectives and Rivalry with SpaceX
The mission, dubbed NG-1, has two primary goals: achieving orbit and landing the rocket's first-stage booster on a drone ship, Jacklyn, stationed 1,000 kilometres downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. While SpaceX has made such landings routine, this will be Blue Origin’s first attempt on the high seas.

The upper stage of New Glenn will carry a Defense Department-funded prototype spacecraft, Blue Ring, for a six-hour orbital test flight. With its larger size and capacity, New Glenn competes with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, offering new options for heavy payload launches.

Future Ambitions
Blue Origin has already secured contracts with NASA, including missions to Mars and the deployment of its Project Kuiper satellite constellation to rival Starlink. Bezos’s vision focuses on off-planet industry to preserve Earth, contrasting with Musk’s Martian ambitions.

This historic launch is a step toward diversifying the orbital launch market, positioning Blue Origin as a significant competitor. All eyes will be on New Glenn today as it aims to make space history.