Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is completing the final test of its first flight

Blue Origin’s heavy-lift launch vehicle New Glenn is now ready for its maiden flight. The company has conducted – and successfully completed – a wetsuit practice or a full run of rocket launch calculations. As The New York Times reports, Blue Origin had to try to count down several times over several hours, but the company was able to fire up New Glenn’s seven engines for 24 seconds in the end.

The New Glenn’s tanks were filled with fuel and the rocket was loaded with a 45,000-pound payload simulator as if it were actually heading for space. Blue Origin says it’s the first time it’s used the vehicle as an integrated system, and New Glenn SVP Jarrett Jones called the completion of the test “a milestone.” The Federal Aviation Administration has also granted the company a license to launch the New Glenn, meaning it is now truly ready to fly.

The company describes the New Glenn as “a big, reusable rocket built for big things.” It also said it was “designed for the safety and redundancy required to fly people,” although its first flight will be unmanned. Its first flight was supposed to be in October carrying two NASA satellites to Mars, but it had to be canceled because the rocket was not ready at that time. New Glenn will now fly for the first time with the Blue Ring Pathfinder company, part of its Blue Ring platform that will provide spacecraft services to customers like the Pentagon, instead. 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 and could happen as early as January 6.