Jeff Bezos\u2019s Blue Origin is gearing up for the second launch of New Glenn. The megarocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, no earlier than 2:51 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 9.<\/p>\n
New Glenn rolled<\/a> onto the pad at Launch Complex 38 Tuesday evening and went vertical<\/a> Wednesday, according to Blue Origin\u2019s X account. It has since undergone a successful static fire test in which all seven of its BE-4 boosters performed as expected, operating at 100% thrust for 22 seconds, Blue Origin posted<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n The heavy-lift launch vehicle is now in the final stages of preparation ahead of Sunday\u2019s milestone flight. Here are the three most important things you need to know before liftoff.<\/p>\n There will be another booster recovery attempt <\/p>\n It\u2019s been nearly 10 months since New Glenn\u2019s inaugural flight<\/a> on January 16. The rocket\u2019s upper stage successfully reached orbit\u2014a first for Blue Origin\u2014and deployed the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload. This technology demonstration payload was designed to test the core flight, ground systems, and operational capabilities of the company\u2019s Blue Ring orbital transfer vehicle.<\/p>\n One of the primary objectives of this test flight was to recover New Glenn\u2019s booster\u2014a key step toward rapid reusability. This did not go according to plan, however. Blue Origin confirmed that the booster was lost \u201cduring descent,\u201d meaning it failed to perform a soft, controlled landing on Jacklyn\u2014a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n A Federal Aviation Administration investigation ultimately determined that the booster failed to relight its engines, Blue Origin confirmed<\/a> in March. The FAA identified seven corrective measures focused on \u201cpropellant management and engine bleed control improvements,\u201d which the company said it was already addressing.<\/p>\n Despite the booster mishap, the rocket\u2019s first flight was a huge win for Blue Origin, officially putting New Glenn on the map as a major orbital launch vehicle.<\/p>\n Blue Origin will again try to recover the booster during New Glenn\u2019s second flight. Just like last time, the company is targeting a propulsive landing on the barge named Jacklyn in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n Bezos\u2019s company is hoping this second booster, named \u201cNever Tell Me the Odds,\u201d will have better luck than the first. If the company can successfully recover and refurbish the booster, it plans to fly it again on its third mission, which will attempt to launch the first Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander. This cargo lander is a stepping stone to a crewed version, which NASA has contracted to deliver the Artemis 5 astronauts to the Moon.<\/p>\n New Glenn will launch NASA\u2019s ESCAPADE mission <\/p>\n New Glenn will carry another payload during its second test flight, but this time, it belongs to NASA. The megarocket will launch the agency\u2019s twin ESCAPADE probes on a journey to Mars.<\/p>\n The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers mission (try saying that five times fast) \u201cwill use two identical spacecraft to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Mars\u2019 magnetic environment and how this interaction drives the planet\u2019s atmospheric escape,\u201d according to NASA<\/a>.<\/p>\n The probes were supposed to fly on the first New Glenn launch, originally slated for October 2024, but NASA pulled<\/a> the probes from the mission due to concerns about launching them on an unproven rocket. On Friday, Blue Origin confirmed<\/a> that the probes have been loaded into the payload fairing of New Glenn\u2019s upper stage.<\/p>\n