Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launch, scheduled to send NASA's twin satellites on their journey to Mars, was postponed due to bad weather. The heavy-lift launch vehicle was set to take off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:45 PM ET, but multiple delays were issued during the under-two-hour launch window. Blue Origin called off the launch attempt around 4:13 PM. The next launch opportunity is uncertain, as the FAA's emergency order restricts commercial launches to between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM due to the government shutdown. This delay is a setback for New Glenn's development, which has faced significant delays over the last decade. The rocket's first stage booster is designed to be reusable, and Blue Origin aims to recover it by landing it on an autonomous platform vessel called Jacklyn. This mission is part of NASA's Escapade, which aims to study the effects of space weather on Mars. The satellites will follow a unique trajectory, lingering in a 12-month kidney bean-shaped orbit around Earth until Mars is in alignment, reaching the red planet in 2027.
