FAA issues launch license for Blue Origin New Glenn rocket
The Space Coast could be seeing another new rocket fly soon as the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday issued a launch license for Blue Origin’s New Glenn.
An FAA statement said Jeff Bezos’ rocket company had “met all safety, environmental and other licensing requirements” for its heavy-lift rocket, which is set up for its debut mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 36.
“The FAA is committed to enabling the success of the U.S. commercial space transportation industry without compromising public safety,” Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Kelvin B. Coleman said. “By working closely with Blue Origin, the FAA issued this new launch license well in advance of the statutory deadline for the historic maiden flight of New Glenn.”
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The Part 450 commercial license is good for five years, allowing launches of New Glenn as well as return landings of its first stage on a ship stationed downrange in the Atlantic, similar to how SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets’ first stages land on droneships.