Blue Origin scrubbed its Nov. 9 New Glenn launch after cloud cover forced a delay. The company now targets Nov. 12 for liftoff from LC-36, with a window from 2:50–4:17 p.m. ET. NG-2 will carry NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft to Mars (arrival expected in 2027) plus commercial payloads from Viasat, and the team will attempt a sea recovery of the booster. The daytime window has raised questions because of an FAA restriction limiting most commercial launches to overnight hours during the recent government shutdown.
Blue Origin Postpones New Glenn Mars Launch — New Target Window Set for Nov. 12
Blue Origin scrubbed its Nov. 9 New Glenn launch after cloud cover forced a delay. The company now targets Nov. 12 for liftoff from LC-36, with a window from 2:50–4:17 p.m. ET. NG-2 will carry NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft to Mars (arrival expected in 2027) plus commercial payloads from Viasat, and the team will attempt a sea recovery of the booster. The daytime window has raised questions because of an FAA restriction limiting most commercial launches to overnight hours during the recent government shutdown.
01:58 AM, 11/11/2025Science
Blue Origin Postpones New Glenn Mars Launch — New Target Window Set for Nov. 12
Blue Origin postponed its Nov. 9 attempt to launch the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket after clouds moved into the Cape Canaveral area, forcing a scrub roughly 90 minutes after the planned window opened. The company now lists Nov. 12 as its next target, with a launch window from 2:50 p.m. to 4:17 p.m. ET from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.
Designated NG-2, this will be only New Glenn's second flight since its debut on Jan. 16, 2025. The mission will carry NASA's twin ESCAPADE spacecraft (Escape and Plasma Acceleration Dynamics Explorers) on a multi-year voyage to Mars. The satellites are due to reach Martian orbit in 2027 and will conduct coordinated measurements of solar wind and space weather.
NG-2 also includes commercial payloads, notably technology from telecommunications company Viasat that could support NASA operations in low-Earth orbit. After stage separation, Blue Origin will attempt to recover the reusable first stage — nicknamed "Never Tell Me the Odds" — by landing it on an autonomous drone ship several hundred miles offshore in the Atlantic. The upper stage will continue to place ESCAPADE on its interplanetary trajectory.
New Glenn is a two-stage, reusable heavy-lift vehicle standing about 322 feet tall. Its first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines, while the upper stage uses two BE-3U vacuum-optimized engines. Blue Origin states the booster is designed for at least 25 flights. New Glenn is distinct from Blue Origin's smaller New Shepard suborbital vehicle, which flies short tourism and research missions from West Texas.
The planned daytime launch window has drawn attention because the Federal Aviation Administration issued, during a recent government shutdown, restrictions that limit most commercial launches to overnight hours (10 p.m.–6 a.m. local time). Blue Origin said on the social platform X that it "worked with the FAA and range to select a launch window," but has not publicly detailed why NG-2 appears to proceed during daytime hours. Orbital mechanics — the need to lift off at a precise time to reach the correct Mars trajectory — are also a key factor in the schedule.
On New Glenn's maiden flight the upper stage reached orbit, but the booster was lost during descent. As Blue Origin prepares for the next attempt, observers will be watching the weather forecast for Nov. 12, coordination with the FAA and range authorities, and whether recovery teams can successfully retrieve the booster at sea.
Quick facts:
- Launch complex: LC-36, Cape Canaveral Space Force Base
- Next target: Nov. 12, 2:50–4:17 p.m. ET
- Primary payload: NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft (arrival 2027)
- Commercial payloads: Includes Viasat hardware
- Booster nickname: "Never Tell Me the Odds"