New Glenn Launch Scrubbed After Weather, Pad and Range Problems; ESCAPADE Satellites Deferred to Monday

Blue Origin’s New Glenn scrubbed after weather, pad and range issues

Blue Origin’s heavy-lift New Glenn rocket, scheduled to carry a pair of Mars-bound satellites from Cape Canaveral on Sunday afternoon, was prevented from lifting off after a sequence of problems during the two-hour launch window.

The vehicle was targeting its second flight during a window that ran from 2:45 to 4:13 p.m. from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Teams placed the countdown into a weather hold for most of the window.

By about 3:45 p.m. skies had cleared, but engineers then reported an issue with the pad ground systems. The countdown continued running in hopes of resolving that problem and achieving liftoff late in the window. A final status poll was left "go pending" while crews worked the issue.

Attention then shifted to the range when a vessel appeared to enter restricted waters. Officials said the Coast Guard was attempting to contact a cruise ship that may have violated the range exclusion; it was not immediately clear which ship was involved. With under five minutes remaining, Blue Origin put the launch on hold again, citing a violation of the cumulus cloud rule.

“We just completed our launch readiness review this morning. We are go for launch across the board,”

— Laura Maginnis, Blue Origin vice president of mission management for New Glenn

Many spectators gathered along the beach to view activity at the southernmost active pad on the Cape. Parking filled early and thousands stayed through squalls and intermittent rain, hoping for liftoff. Some attendees were Blue Origin employees; others were casual observers who brought children, dogs, surfboards or fishing gear for the long wait.

Payload and trajectory changes

The mission’s payload is a pair of satellites built by Rocket Lab for NASA and UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory for the mission ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers). The twin spacecraft, Blue and Gold, had been aimed at Mars in late 2024, but the delay pushed launch into the current season and required a revised trajectory.

Instead of a direct departure to Mars, the ESCAPADE twins will first go to the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2), roughly 1 million miles from Earth, where they can loiter with minimal fuel use until next year. After that layover they will begin an approximately 11‑month transfer to Mars to study plasma and magnetic fields that influence atmospheric loss.

Booster recovery and pad status

This is New Glenn’s first return to LC‑36 since January. The first‑stage booster — named Never Tell Me The Odds — is planned to attempt a downrange recovery on Blue Origin’s ship Jacklyn (named for company founder Jeff Bezos’ mother). The booster recovery was a secondary objective; mission managers prioritized safely delivering ESCAPADE to its trajectory.

Maginnis said the newly renovated LC‑36 — which underwent a multiyear, roughly $1 billion overhaul — performed well after the first launch. “The pad actually looked really good…we didn’t see any significant issues,” she said, noting the water suppression and acoustic systems functioned as expected.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasted a 75% probability of favorable conditions for a Monday attempt. Blue Origin said another launch opportunity could open Monday with a window beginning at 2:40 p.m.

What’s next

Blue Origin remains focused on delivering ESCAPADE safely and attempting booster recovery when possible. The company also plans to increase its launch cadence in 2026, citing faster turnaround of the GS‑1 first stage and additional boosters in production, though it did not announce a date for the next flight.