Blue Origin had initially planned to launch a pair of Mars-bound satellites on behalf of NASA for the first flight of New Glenn. However, due to delays in the rocket's development, NASA decided to reschedule the flight to this spring at the earliest.
For the inaugural New Glenn flight, Blue Origin has chosen to fly a 'demonstrator' instead. This demonstrator will focus on testing the technology required for the company's proposed Blue Ring spacecraft. The Blue Ring spacecraft is designed to function as an in-space rideshare vehicle, capable of transporting satellites deeper into space as needed.
The demonstrator that will be onboard this New Glenn flight will not be deployed into space. It will remain aboard the rocket for the entire six-hour flight. Blue Origin has stated that the purpose of this flight is to validate 'communications capabilities from orbit to ground' and to test 'in-space telemetry, tracking and command hardware, and ground-based radiometric tracking' for the Blue Ring spacecraft.
The Blue Ring Pathfinder demonstrator is part of a collaboration between Blue Origin and the US Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit. This partnership aims to advance the development of innovative space technologies.
