Cape Canaveral, Jan 13, (V7N) - Jeff Bezos's space venture, Blue Origin, is poised for its highly anticipated debut orbital mission, marking a significant milestone 25 years after the company's founding. The towering New Glenn rocket, standing at 320 feet (98 meters), is scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a launch window that opens at 1:00 am (0600 GMT) on Monday.

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp shared the excitement on X, posting, "Pointy end up!" with images of the massive white rocket, signaling readiness for its inaugural flight.

This mission, dubbed NG-1, positions Bezos in direct competition with Elon Musk, whose SpaceX currently dominates the commercial space industry with its Falcon 9 rockets. Blue Origin aims to challenge that dominance with New Glenn, designed for heavy payloads and more substantial missions.

Following liftoff, Blue Origin will attempt to recover New Glenn's first-stage booster by landing it on the drone ship Jacklyn, named in honor of Bezos's mother. The ship is stationed about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. While SpaceX has perfected sea landings, this will be Blue Origin's first attempt.

Simultaneously, the rocket’s upper stage will continue its journey to orbit, reaching a peak altitude of about 12,000 miles. A Defense Department-funded experimental spacecraft, Blue Ring, will remain onboard during the six-hour test flight.

Although Blue Origin has successfully landed its smaller New Shepard rockets for suborbital space tourism, New Glenn's size and ocean landing attempt present new challenges.

Physically, New Glenn surpasses SpaceX's Falcon 9 in height and payload capacity and sits between Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy in terms of lift capability. Its larger payload fairing allows it to carry loads equivalent to 20 moving trucks, giving it a unique edge for bulkier cargo.

Blue Origin has already secured a NASA contract to launch two Mars probes using New Glenn and plans to deploy satellites for Project Kuiper, Bezos's satellite internet initiative aimed at rivaling Musk's Starlink network.

Despite this progress, SpaceX continues to lead the industry, with other players like United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, and Rocket Lab still trailing.

Both Bezos and Musk share a deep-rooted passion for space exploration but with contrasting goals. Musk envisions colonizing Mars, while Bezos imagines relocating heavy industry off Earth to protect the planet.

Founded in 2000, Blue Origin predates SpaceX by two years but has taken a more cautious development approach compared to Musk’s rapid "fail fast, learn fast" strategy.

If successful, New Glenn’s launch will offer the U.S. government valuable redundancy in space launch capabilities, enhancing national security and commercial resilience.

With Musk’s close ties to President-elect Donald Trump raising questions about potential conflicts of interest, Bezos appears to be building political connections of his own. His recent visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and Amazon’s $1 million donation to the inauguration committee signal strategic outreach.

As the clock ticks down to launch, all eyes are on Blue Origin’s New Glenn, ready to take Bezos's space ambitions to new heights.

END/WD/RH