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

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.

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.