Bezos vs Musk on Jan 10th
January 7, 2025
The planned launch of the Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin rocket on January 6th was delayed because of poor weather at the Cape. The rocket, named New Glenn, is now slated to launch from Florida on January 10th. The plan puts it head-to-head with Elon Musk’s important Starship and its seventh flight and attempted ‘chopstick’ landing.
Blue Origin’s NG-1 flight from will use Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The three-hour launch window opens at 1am EST. NG-1 is Blue Origi’s first National Security Space Launch certification flight.
“Our key objective is to reach orbit safely. We know landing the booster on our first try offshore in the Atlantic is ambitious – but we’re going for it. This is our first flight and we’ve prepared rigorously for it,” said Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn. “But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations are a replacement for flying this rocket. It’s time to fly. No matter what happens, we’ll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch.”
Musk uses his Starbase facility in South Texas (and Launch Pad A) for its launch of Starship #7. The launch is currently scheduled for 5pm Eastern on January 10th. The launch window will be open for 97 minutes, with backup days running to January 16th.
SpaceX’s Starship comprises the massive first stage called Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship, or more simply as ‘Ship’. The launch from Boca Chica Beach will feature a number of new upgrades and objectives, building on the spectacular Flight Test #6 in November of last year.
The Super Heavy portion will be reusing Raptor engine number 314, which flew on Booster 12 and was spectacularly caught by the tower chopsticks on Flight Test 5, in a small step toward reusability.
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