Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has completed the final test for its maiden flight

Blue Origin’s New Glenn the heavy-lift launch vehicle is now ready for its maiden flight. The company has conducted — and successfully completed — a wet dress rehearsal or full rocket launch countdown. like New York Times reports, Blue Origin had to try the countdown several times over the course of several hours, but the company was able to ignite and ignite New Glenn’s seven engines in 24 seconds in the end.

New Glenn’s tanks were full of fuel and the rocket was fitted with a 45,000-pound mass simulator as if it were really heading into space. Blue Origin says this is the first time it has operated the vehicle as an integrated system, with New Glenn SVP Jarrett Jones calling the completion of the test a “monumental milestone.” The Federal Aviation Administration has too granted the company received a license to launch New Glenn, which means that it is now truly ready to go.

The company describes the New Glenn as “a giant reusable rocket built for bigger things.” It also said it was “designed with the safety and redundancy needed to fly humans,” although its inaugural flight will be unmanned. His first flight was to was held in October carrying two NASA satellites headed for Mars, but had to be scrapped because the rocket wasn’t ready by then. New Glenn will now fly for the first time on the company’s Blue Ring Pathfinder, part of its Blue Ring platform, which will instead offer spacecraft services to customers like the Pentagon. Although Blue Origin has not announced a new launch date for the rocket, it is expected to be the company’s first flight in 2025. can be held as early as January 6.