Intense solar storms producing widespread auroras across the U.S. forced Blue Origin to delay its New Glenn launch Wednesday. The rocket, already impacted by poor weather, was scrubbed about five hours before liftoff while carrying two Mars orbiters for NASA. NASA cited radiation concerns and has not announced a new launch date; teams will monitor space weather before rescheduling.
Solar Storms Scrub Blue Origin's New Glenn Launch Carrying Two NASA Mars Orbiters
Intense solar storms producing widespread auroras across the U.S. forced Blue Origin to delay its New Glenn launch Wednesday. The rocket, already impacted by poor weather, was scrubbed about five hours before liftoff while carrying two Mars orbiters for NASA. NASA cited radiation concerns and has not announced a new launch date; teams will monitor space weather before rescheduling.
01:59 AM, 11/13/2025Science
Solar storms delay New Glenn launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Intense solar storms that created spectacular auroras across the United States forced Blue Origin to delay the planned launch of its New Glenn rocket Wednesday.
The rocket, which had already been affected by poor weather, was scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral carrying two Mars orbiters for NASA. Launch controllers scrubbed the attempt about five hours before liftoff after forecasts showed elevated solar activity and higher-than-normal radiation levels in space.
NASA said the postponement was purely precautionary: increased radiation can harm sensitive electronics and scientific instruments on interplanetary spacecraft. No new launch date has been announced; mission teams from the agency and Blue Origin will continue to monitor space weather before selecting a revised window.
At 321 feet (98 meters) tall, New Glenn is considerably larger and more powerful than Blue Origin’s suborbital New Shepard vehicles that carry passengers from Texas. This mission would have been only New Glenn’s second flight since its January debut.
Reporting by The Associated Press. The AP's Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content.