Update: Blue Origin announced on social media that it has postponed the New Glenn launch indefinitely because of "highly elevated solar activity." Flight teams are assessing space‑weather conditions and will announce the next available launch window when it is safe to proceed.
Overview
Blue Origin had been preparing to attempt the second flight of its New Glenn rocket from Florida's Space Coast after an earlier scrub on Nov. 9 due to poor weather. The company had targeted Nov. 12 for a launch window that ran from 2:50 p.m. to 4:17 p.m. ET from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — a site Blue Origin rebuilt with roughly $1 billion in investment.
About New Glenn
Named for NASA astronaut John Glenn, New Glenn is a 322‑foot‑tall, two‑stage heavy‑lift launch vehicle built by Blue Origin, the spaceflight company Jeff Bezos founded in 2000. Its first stage is designed to be reusable and capable of at least 25 flights, according to the company. New Glenn is distinct from Blue Origin’s smaller New Shepard suborbital vehicle, which flies short tourist and research missions from West Texas.
Mission and Payload
On its planned second flight, New Glenn was to carry NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft (Escape and Plasma Acceleration Dynamics Explorers) on an interplanetary trajectory to Mars. The mission’s purpose is to study solar wind and space weather at Mars. ESCAPADE will separate from the launch vehicle’s upper stage and is expected to reach Martian orbit in 2027, with science operations planned from June 2028 through May 2029.
The booster slated for this mission carried the nickname "Never Tell Me the Odds." Blue Origin planned to attempt a controlled recovery of that booster on an autonomous drone ship several hundred miles off the Atlantic coast while the upper stage — with payload fairing attached — continued toward a trans‑Mars injection.
What Happened and What’s Next
Initial attempts were delayed by weather on Nov. 9. Before the indefinite postponement, Blue Origin planned a live webcast of the Nov. 12 launch on its website and intended to post updates on X (formerly Twitter). With the new delay prompted by elevated solar activity, teams are monitoring space weather and will announce a new launch date only after ensuring mission safety and payload protection.
Why solar activity matters
Elevated solar activity — including solar flares and coronal mass ejections — can increase charged particles in space and radiation levels that may harm spacecraft electronics, affect communications and navigation, and change the environment the spacecraft will pass through en route to Mars. Launch operators often delay liftoffs when space weather poses a risk.
We will update this story when Blue Origin sets a new launch date or provides additional information.
