🔗 Share this article Jeff Bezos' Space Firm's Second Mission Postponed Because of Inclement Weather Conditions The aerospace company, owned by entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, was forced to delay the eagerly awaited launch of its New Glenn rocket on Sunday due to adverse meteorological factors at Cape Canaveral. Launch Delay Reasons Rainfall and a technical problem on the ground led to early setbacks, followed by cumulus cloud cover as the narrow time frame for launch closed, forcing managers to push back the rocket’s planned second mission. Rivalry between Bezos' firm and Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been intensifying in recent months. Rescheduled Attempt To ease traffic in the skies amid the US federal government shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration is restricting private space launches starting Monday. Following the cancellation of the launch, the company announced on Sunday evening that, working alongside the regulatory body, it was aiming for a new try as soon as midweek within a window of 2.50pm to 4.17pm Eastern Standard time. Mission Objectives When it eventually launches, the 322-foot New Glenn rocket will transport the US space agency's Escapade twin spacecraft to the Red Planet, to study the planet’s climate history with the long-term goal of human exploration. The mission will also act as a crucial trial of its ability to perform booster recovery, which would represent a major advancement for the company if successful. Previous Flight The rocket's first launch in the start of the year was marked as a success, as its payload reached space and completed experiments. But its first-stage booster, which was meant to be reusable, failed to make its touchdown on a ocean-based target in the ocean, and ended up destroyed during the return phase. Recovery Efforts For this new mission the launch provider will make another attempt to land the first stage. Thus far, only Musk’s company SpaceX has managed that accomplishment. Space Race The competing companies of billionaires Bezos and Musk are locked in a commercial space race that recently escalated, as the space agency began accepting bids for its planned moon mission, complaining that SpaceX was falling behind schedule. The current administration has seen the government pile pressure on NASA to speed up its timeline to launch astronauts to the lunar surface in competition against the Asian nation. More rivalry between SpaceX and Blue Origin could “expand our options with regard to launch.” “Additional missions means more ideas in space,” an ex-agency official stated. “It isn't a bad thing to have the competitor, even not in the lead.”