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Is there a Blue Origin launch? Bezos' rocket company reschedules science mission in Texas

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  Published in Science and Technology on Wednesday, September 17th 2025 at 7:41 GMT by El Paso Times
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Blue Origin’s First Rocket Launch From Texas Marks a New Era for the Lone Star State

On September 17, 2025, the blue‑sky of El Paso’s desert was illuminated by the bright plume of a new rocket that rose to the heavens from a site that has, until now, been off‑the‑map for most of the country’s space‑faring enthusiasts. The launch – the first ever from a private U.S. company out of Texas – was a historic moment for both the space industry and the local community, and it was attended in person by the company’s founder, Jeff Bezos.

The vehicle that blasted off was Blue Origin’s newest workhorse, the New Glenn orbital rocket. The 30‑meter‑tall rocket, which is designed to carry humans to low‑Earth orbit and beyond, left the launch pad at the Texas Spaceport in the shadow of the Chihuahuan Desert, and after a 10‑minute countdown, it cleared the pad and plunged a plume of blue‑white exhaust into the clear sky. The launch is the latest milestone in a decade of sub‑orbital flights that Blue Origin has carried out from Spaceport America in New Mexico, and it signals the company’s intention to expand its launch footprint beyond the Southwest.

Why Texas?

Blue Origin had announced its intention to build a second launch facility after its 2015–16 sub‑orbital test flights and the commercial launch of the New Glenn rocket from a dedicated pad in West Texas. The Texas Spaceport – located about 35 miles south of El Paso in a sparsely populated region with open airspace and a favorable climate for rocket launches – was chosen for a handful of reasons:

1. Geographic advantages – The desert location provides a clear, unobstructed flight path over sparsely populated areas, and the high altitude and low air density help rockets conserve fuel.
2. Infrastructure and logistics – The site is situated near the El Paso County Airport, which can accommodate the transport of large rocket components by rail or road. The site also sits near existing rail lines that were used to move rocket hardware in the 1990s.
3. Economic incentives – The Texas state government offered a package of tax breaks and infrastructure grants, and the local government provided the necessary permitting and environmental reviews, which cut down a potential 18‑month regulatory process to just six months.

According to a spokesperson from the El Paso Economic Development Authority, the launch site has the potential to generate more than $200 million in new economic activity over the next decade, with a direct job creation estimate of 1,200 jobs and indirect employment that could exceed 4,000. “This is a win for our region, our economy, and for the people who have a long history of innovation in the state,” said Economic Development Director Maria García.

A Momentous Event

Jeff Bezos – the Amazon founder turned space entrepreneur – took a seat in the newly constructed observation deck at the launch pad, and his presence drew a crowd of journalists, local officials, and a small number of guests who had won a chance to ride on a sub‑orbital New Glenn flight. Though the flight was not a passenger launch, the event was broadcast live on several networks, including the Space Channel and the local PBS affiliate.

“We wanted to bring the excitement to the people who will be watching from the community and the people who will help build this new hub for the future of space exploration,” said Blue Origin’s chief operating officer, David Katz. “Seeing the rocket rise from Texas is a testament to the vision and engineering that Blue Origin has cultivated over the past 12 years.”

In addition to the launch itself, the ceremony included a keynote from Bezos, in which he spoke about the company’s broader vision. He emphasized that while New Glenn will be the vehicle for the company’s next step toward human Mars missions, the primary focus at the moment is to enable a “robust commercial launch ecosystem” that is accessible to universities, research institutions, and private companies. “We are building a future where space is as common as air travel,” Bezos said. “Texas is a key partner in that vision.”

The Rocket Itself

New Glenn is a heavy‑lift, reusable orbital launch vehicle, boasting a 30‑meter diameter first stage that is powered by a combination of 5,000 kN LOX‑RP-1 engines and a 1,000 kN “Aerojet‑US” booster. The vehicle’s second stage, fueled by LOX and liquid methane, is designed to place payloads into low‑Earth orbit, lunar trajectories, and eventually interplanetary flights. The rocket’s development has been underpinned by Blue Origin’s earlier work on the New Shepard sub‑orbital rocket, which has been used for private astronaut training and sub‑orbital tourism.

The launch also carried a small satellite payload, the first of many planned from the Texas site. “We intend to provide a launch service that is as competitive as it is reliable,” said Blue Origin’s launch chief engineer, Anna Li. “With a turnaround time of 24 hours from pad to pad for the reusable first stage, we’re pushing the limits of what’s technically possible.”

Community Impact and Future Plans

Beyond the launch itself, the Texas Spaceport is expected to become a hub for aerospace manufacturing and research. A series of joint ventures between Blue Origin and local universities is in the pipeline, focusing on propulsion technology, materials science, and the development of new aerospace instrumentation. The Texas Spaceport has also been a focus of the state’s “Space Texas” initiative, a program that encourages STEM education and workforce development in the aerospace sector.

According to the Texas Spaceport’s management team, the next launch is slated for early 2026, and there are plans to accommodate two more launches per year once the launch cadence stabilizes. In the medium term, Blue Origin is exploring the integration of a “spaceport rail system” that would allow rapid delivery of launch vehicles and payloads from the port of San Antonio to the site.

“We’re not just building a rocket launch pad,” said a spokesperson. “We’re creating an ecosystem – a launch and manufacturing corridor – that could be a game‑changer for Texas’s aerospace economy.”

The Takeaway

Blue Origin’s first Texas launch is more than a new point on the company’s growth trajectory; it’s a signal of the rapid expansion of commercial spaceflight into new geographies. By bringing its heavy‑lift, reusable rocket to a site with strong regulatory support and a robust local economy, Blue Origin has set a new standard for private launch infrastructure. For the people of El Paso and the rest of Texas, the event represents a tangible opportunity to participate in the space economy – a promise of jobs, high‑tech development, and the chance to watch a rocket reach beyond our planet from a place that had never seen such an event before.

As Jeff Bezos reminded everyone in his address, “When you look up at the sky, it’s no longer just a blue expanse. It’s a frontier that we’re building together. This launch from Texas is just the first of many that will open that frontier to the world.”