Blue Origin Hot Fires Its First Previously Flown Booster, Prepares for Weekend Launch

16 Apr 2026

News

SPACEFLIGHT NOW - 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.

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Note: Blue Origin is headquartered in Kent.

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