Bezos's Blue Origin poised for first orbital launch next week

Cape Canaveral: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos s company Blue Origin is poised to launch its first orbital rocket next week, marking a pivotal moment in th...

Cape Canaveral: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin is poised to launch its first orbital rocket next week, marking a pivotal moment in the commercial space race currently dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Named New Glenn, the rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as soon as Wednesday 1:00 am (0600 GMT), with a backup window on Friday, according to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory.

While Blue Origin has not officially confirmed the launch date, excitement has been building since a successful "hotfire" test on December 27.

"Next stop launch," Bezos declared on X, sharing a video of the towering rocket's engines roaring to life.

The NG-1 mission will carry a prototype of Blue Ring, a Defense Department-funded spacecraft envisioned as a versatile satellite deployment platform, which will remain on board the rocket's second stage for the duration of the six-hour test flight.