Blue Origin Launch Delayed

Facts

• The launch of New Glenn, a partly reusable rocket built by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin, was called off Monday following hours of delays. The vessel was set to place a prototype satellite in low Earth orbit.^[1][2]
• The launch was called off only six minutes before the planned 08:15 GMT/3:15 am (local time) blast-off. Bezos had Sunday said that anything short of reaching orbit and activating the Blue Ring Pathfinder payload the rocket was to carry would be a major setback.^[3][4]
• Blue Origin reportedly pushed the time of the launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, multiple times before finally nixing the mission. Company vice president Ariane Cornell later cited problems with "a vehicle sub-system" as a reason.^[5][6]
• Blue Origin has not yet announced a fresh launch date for New Glenn — a rocket named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. The delay could be at least 24 hours, although it is reportedly likely to be much longer.^[3][7]
• This was Blue Origin's first attempt to launch since announcing plans to develop the rocket in 2015. The rocket's design process began earlier in 2012; its first stage is expected to be reused after landing on a recovery vessel.^[8][9]
• Bezos reportedly took part in the countdown from the rocket factory near NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Following the cancellation, he said his firm would "pick ourselves up and keep going."^[4][10]

Sources: ^[1]Sky News, ^[2]Daily Mail, ^[3]BBC News, ^[4]The New York Times, ^[5]Space, ^[6]CNBC, ^[7]Reuters, ^[8]SpaceNews, ^[9]NASA Space Flight and ^[10]Associated Press.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The New York Times and The Verge. Hiccups aside, there's no doubt that Jeff Bezos's cosmic vision will inch closer to reality. When launched, Blue Origin promises to inject vital competition into space exploration, with capabilities surpassing SpaceX's Falcon 9. Bezos' unwavering commitment and Amazon-honed focus signal a new era in commercial spaceflight — one where Earth's second-richest man might revolutionize humanity's journey into space.
• Narrative B, as provided by MSNBC and Newsweek. While billions languish on Earth, billionaires like Jeff Bezos continue their celestial forays, with Blue Origin's latest New Glenn launch failure highlighting the hubris of these modern space races. These titans pour billions into their vanity projects, leaving behind a planet in crisis. The stark contrast between exploited warehouse workers and their bosses' space aspirations epitomizes this grotesque disparity.