The company halted the second launch attempt of its New Glenn mega-rocket after weather concerns, minor pad equipment problems, and a cruise ship drifting into the flight path. The team later said it will try again on Wednesday, November 12, after coordinating with the FAA, which recently introduced launch restrictions during the government shutdown. The next launch window opens at 2:50 p.m. ET and runs until 4:17 p.m. ET. These shifting conditions created repeated delays, and they ultimately pushed the schedule beyond Sunday’s available timeframe.
Why This Mission Matters
This mission carries meaningful weight for several reasons, and it also marks steady progress toward full rocket reusability. The rocket reached orbit during its first flight in January; however, the booster exploded before landing on a drone ship. The company aims to achieve a clean booster landing on this attempt, and success would strengthen long-term cost efficiency. This flight is additionally the rocket’s first commercial mission, and it will carry NASA’s ESCAPADE spacecraft toward Mars. It will also deliver a tech demonstrator for Viasat that supports another NASA project. Since reliable, cost-effective payload delivery is essential for competition in the space industry, this mission takes on added importance.
Factors Behind the Scrub
The second launch was originally planned earlier in the year, yet it has faced multiple delays. Sunday’s Florida launch window opened at 2:45 p.m. ET and lasted roughly 90 minutes, so the margin was already tight. Weather issues and pad equipment concerns shifted the timing several times, and they created uncertainty throughout the countdown. Minutes before a launch attempt, a cruise ship entered the flight path, according to the broadcast. While the ship was expected to clear before the 4:15 p.m. ET deadline, the weather remained unfavorable, which led the company to scrub the attempt.
