On April 18, 2026, a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket prepares for launch at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States.
Joe Skipper | Reuters
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has postponed the return to flight of its flagship rocket, the New Glenn, to January 2027, rather than the original goal of the end of this year, in a bid to hasten recovery from the May explosion.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp told employees in a memo Wednesday that the launch date was pushed back as a result of delays in rebuilding the Cape Canaveral launch pad, including poor summer weather.
“This small adjustment does not diminish the importance of what we have accomplished or the work we continue to do,” Limp wrote in the memo, which was seen by CNBC. “Getting New Glenn back into the air remains our top priority, and it’s worth it.”
The Financial Times earlier reported the memo. The January 2027 deadline is about 10 days later than Blue Origin’s original launch goal, people familiar with the matter told CNBC on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
The New Glenn explosion, which occurred during a high-temperature fire test in May, caused significant damage to Blue Origin’s Florida launch pad. The company planned to deploy 48 satellites. AmazonJust a few days later, Leo’s internet service from space was launched.
Since then, the company has moved quickly to repair the launch facility and reconfigure the launch pad. Bezos told Fox News last month that the company still expects New Glenn to fly again in December.
Limp said Blue Origin has made great strides in rebuilding, but noted that “rebuilding at this pace has not been easy.”
“Your collective efforts to get us back to flying have been nothing short of amazing,” Limp wrote. “Team Blue accomplished in just six months what many thought would take years.”
The accident came at an inopportune time, as Blue Origin was trying to increase its launch pace to compete with its biggest rival, Elon Musk’s company. space xfor commercial and government customers.
New Glenn’s delays are hampering Amazon’s Leo expansion, which relies on Blue Origin for some of its launches. For now, Amazon is turning to other providers such as United Launch Alliance and Arianespace, especially as SpaceX is phasing out Falcon 9 launches to prioritize testing its giant Starship rocket.
NASA also relies on Blue Origin for several contracts for the agency’s Artemis Lunar Return Program, including the Lunar Lander.
Last month, the company announced new investments in its Florida launch facility, with the goal of supporting multiple weekly flights by the end of the decade.
