🔗 Share this article Blue Origin's Second Rocket Launch Postponed Due to Inclement Weather Conditions The aerospace company, owned by entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, had to delay the eagerly awaited liftoff of its New Glenn rocket on Sunday due to adverse meteorological factors at Cape Canaveral. Mission Postponement Causes Precipitation and a ground system issue led to early setbacks, then came thick clouds as the 88-minute launch window ended, forcing mission controllers to reschedule the vehicle's upcoming flight. Rivalry between Bezos' firm and Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been intensifying in the past few months. Rescheduled Attempt To ease airspace congestion amid the US federal government shutdown, the aviation regulator is limiting private space launches from the beginning of the week. After scrubbing the launch, the company said on Sunday evening that, working alongside the FAA, it was aiming for another attempt as early as midweek within a window of afternoon hours EST. Mission Objectives Upon successful liftoff, the 322-foot New Glenn rocket will transport NASA’s Escapade twin spacecraft to the Red Planet, to examine the planet’s climate history with the eventual hope of sending people there. Blue Origin’s launch will also act as a crucial trial of its ability to perform reusable rocket landing, which would prove a technical breakthrough for the company if successful. Earlier Mission New Glenn’s inaugural flight in the start of the year was marked as a achievement, as its cargo reached space and completed tests. But its main rocket section, which was meant to be recoverable, failed to make its touchdown on a ocean-based target in the ocean, and ended up destroyed during descent. Landing Attempts In its second effort Blue Origin will try once more to land the first stage. Thus far, only SpaceX has managed that feat. Industry Competition Rival firms of billionaires Bezos and Musk are engaged in a private sector space competition that recently escalated, as NASA began accepting bids for its lunar exploration program, noting that one company was lagging behind. The current administration has seen the government push the agency to accelerate its progress to launch astronauts to the Moon amid a race with China. Increased competition between SpaceX and Blue Origin could “give us more choices with regard to launch.” “More launches means more ideas in orbit,” an ex-agency official stated. “It isn't a bad thing to have the competitor, even trailing behind.”