Good morning, friends, it’s your Space Coast correspondent James Sparvero, with the latest indication the newest rocket at the Cape could be launching any day now.
Blue Origin announced on Friday it received its launch license for New Glenn’s first flight. Then, Jeff Bezos’ space company said an anticipated hot fire test at the pad was a success.
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Now, all Blue Origin says it needs to do is fit together its own spacecraft with the rocket and New Glenn will finally be ready for launch!
Earlier this month, they said that could still happen before the new year but now, through an aerospace advisory, the FAA is indicating the launch date could be Jan. 6 between 1 a.m. and 4:45 a.m.
So, get ready! Because as I’ve been saying for years given the excellent visibility of this pad from the beach, this launch should look special.
Have a happy new year, and here’s to making more spaceflight history in 2025!
📧 Do you have any specific space topics you’d like to discuss? Send me an email here.
👋 Here’s a little bit more about me.
Little did I know when watching Apollo 13 in the third grade that 20 years later, I was destined for a thrilling career as your Space Coast multimedia journalist.
Chemistry and biology weren’t so interesting to me in high school science, but I loved my Earth and Space class (Thanks, Mr. Lang).
Then in 2016, I traded Capitol correspondent in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for space correspondent. I’m proud that my first live report at News 6 happened to be the first time SpaceX landed a Falcon 9 booster on a barge. What seems so routine now was a really big deal that day in our newsroom!
From there, I’ve covered the Commercial Crew program and the return of human spaceflight to Kennedy Space Center (Demo-2 launched on my 33rd birthday!)
Now, as our coverage looks forward to missions to the moon and Mars, I often tell others I have the best job in local news. Because after all I’ve seen so far, I think I would be bored working somewhere else. I even bought a house near the Cape with a great view to the north so I never miss a launch even when I’m not working.
After eight years on the beat, though, I still consider myself a young space reporter and I always look forward to learning something new with every assignment.
Have a great launch into the rest of your week!