Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket roared to life in a critical pre-launch demonstration of its main engines Thursday, less than an hour after the Sun crested over the horizon in Florida.
The seven BE-4 engines fired for about 20 seconds, at 7:45 a.m. EDT (1145 UTC). Engineers will now pore through the data and if everything looks good, the launch with AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird-7 satellite could take place as soon as Sunday, April 19.
About five seconds prior to ignition, the water deluge system sprang to life, dumping thousands of gallons of water on the launch pad to dampen the sound from the engines. Each BE-4 can produce 640,000 lbf (2,846 kN) thrust at sea level.
Static fire for Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket occurred at 7:45 a.m. EDT (1145 UTC). If all went well the BlueBird 7 mission could launch as soon as April 19. 📷 @ABernNYC pic.twitter.com/hZJ70yGXb5
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) April 16, 2026
