A delay in SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base has occurred due to a ground system glitch, now scheduled for Sunday evening, with the mission to deploy the COSMO-SkyMed satellite for Italy, and the first-stage booster will land at Vandenberg, potentially producing sonic booms audible in nearby counties.
Blue Origin's launch of the reusable New Shepard rocket has been delayed due to a "ground system issue" that the company is currently troubleshooting. The NS-24 mission, which was scheduled to be the first suborbital flight since September 2022, will be rescheduled for later in the week. Blue Origin's last mission in September 2022 ended in failure, prompting the company to implement corrective actions. New Shepard has flown 23 times in total, with this mission expected to bring the number of payloads flown to space to over 150.
Blue Origin's first mission in over 15 months, the NS-24 mission, was delayed due to a ground systems issue. The New Shepard suborbital vehicle was scheduled to launch but was scrubbed after a one-hour delay caused by cold temperatures. Blue Origin announced the scrub on Twitter and stated that they would provide a new launch target for later in the week. The previous launch failure in September 2022 was caused by an engine nozzle's thermo-structural failure, and Blue Origin has made design changes to prevent a recurrence. The NS-24 mission includes 33 research payloads, with more than half developed and flown with support from NASA, as well as 38,000 postcards for the Blue Origin-founded nonprofit "Club for the Future."