Solar storms delay the launch of Blue Origin’s big new rocket with Mars orbiters for NASA

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Intense solar storms responsible for breathtaking auroras across the U.S. delayed the launch of Blue Origin’s big new rocket Wednesday.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/11/2025 (316 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Intense solar storms responsible for breathtaking auroras across the U.S. delayed the launch of Blue Origin’s big new rocket Wednesday.

Already grounded by poor weather, the New Glenn rocket was poised to blast off in the afternoon with two Mars orbiters for NASA from Florida. But five hours before the targeted liftoff, it was called off because of the heightened solar activity.

Worried about the possible impact of increased radiation on its Mars-bound spacecraft, NASA decided to postpone the launch until conditions improve. Officials said they would try again Thursday.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands ready on Launch Complex 36 a few minutes before the launch was scrubbed at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands ready on Launch Complex 36 a few minutes before the launch was scrubbed at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

This will be only the second flight of a New Glenn rocket, which made its debut in January. At 321 feet (98 meters), it is considerably larger and more powerful than the New Shepard rockets that Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is launching from Texas with passengers.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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