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First launch of Blue Origin New Glenn rocket delayed until 2022

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Standing at over 300 feet tall, Blue Origin’s New Glenn is larger than any other rocket currently launching from Cape Canaveral.

Dale Ketcham with Space Florida says the rocket is designed to launch a variety of payloads.

“It’s a big vehicle that will accommodate a lot of satellites, people, large payloads, military payloads. He’s building a rocket that will meet as many demands as possible,” Ketcham said.

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In order to build the massive rocket, Blue Origin has built a one-million-square-foot “New Glenn rocket factory” at the Kennedy Space Center’s Exploration Park.

On Thursday, Blue Origin announced it had rescheduled the first flight of the New Glenn from this year to late next 2022.

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So far, the company has created more than 600 local jobs and invested more than $2.5 billion dollars in its facilities, including the cost to rebuild Launch Complex 36.

While some wonder if the decision to delay the inaugural launch may also have to do with the decision of the Space Force to use another rocket for its national security contract, nobody is questioning Blue Origin’s chances of success.

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That’s because Blue Origin was started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

“I don’t think anyone is in a position to question the acumen of Jeff Bezos,” Ketchum said.

In the meantime, Blue Origin is also working on a suborbital spaceflight system called New Shepherd that will eventually ferry tourists to the edge of space.

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Matt Reeser

Matt Reeser, WFTV.com

Matt Reeser joined WFTV in 1998 as a news photographer and has worked for television stations in Kentucky and West Virginia.

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