Blue Origin’s next launch now won’t happen until 2027

Blue Origin plans its next New Glenn launch for January 2027, the month chief executive Dave Limp named in a staff memo that CNBC and the Financial Times cite. The Verge's report says a May explosion damaged the New Glenn launchpad ahead of a flight that would have brought Amazon Leo satellites into space, and that Blue Origin had been aiming for the end of this year. In October, founder Jeff Bezos told Fox News the aim was a December launch, joking “probably December 31st.”

This piece is for readers tracking New Glenn’s return to flight and the Amazon Leo satellite mission on that pad. It covers the move to January 2027, CNBC’s figure of about 10 days later than Blue Origin’s earlier launch target, the bad weather Dave Limp cited during the launchpad rebuild, and Bezos’s October comments on Fox News set beside the staff memo.

Blue Origin’s next launch now won’t happen: what actually changed

The target moved from the end of this year to January 2027. Dave Limp named that month in a memo to Blue Origin staff, and CNBC and the Financial Times cite the memo. After the May explosion damaged the New Glenn launchpad, Blue Origin had been aiming to fly before the year ended. In October, founder Jeff Bezos told Fox News the company was aiming for a December New Glenn launch and joked that it could be “probably December 31st.” The memo places the next flight in January 2027.

CNBC describes the revised launch window as about 10 days later than Blue Origin’s earlier launch target. Limp, in the memo quoted by CNBC and the Financial Times, calls the change a small adjustment. Bezos had told Fox News in October that he was aiming for a December New Glenn launch and joked “probably December 31st.” The memo’s month is January 2027. The May pad damage came ahead of a flight that would have brought Amazon Leo satellites into space.

Blue Origin’s next launch now won’t happen: how it works

In May a launchpad explosion damaged Blue Origin’s New Glenn launchpad. The damage came ahead of a flight that would have brought Amazon Leo satellites into space. After the explosion, Blue Origin aimed for a launch at the end of this year. In October, Jeff Bezos told Fox News the company was aiming for a December New Glenn launch and joked “probably December 31st.” Rebuilding the pad stands between that blast and the next flight. Dave Limp reportedly cited bad weather as having an effect on the rebuilding process.

Staff got the January 2027 date in a memo from Dave Limp. CNBC and the Financial Times cite that memo for the timeline. Jay Peters reported it at 8:47 PM UTC on Nov 5, 2026. Peters is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. The photograph is credited to Anadolu via Getty Images, and the caption says the Blue Origin chief executive reportedly sent a memo to staff about the new timeline.

Blue Origin’s next launch now won’t happen: why it matters

Limp described the slip in the staff memo that CNBC and the Financial Times quote. “This small adjustment doesn’t diminish what we’ve accomplished or the importance of the work still ahead,” he wrote. CNBC says the revised window is about 10 days later than Blue Origin’s earlier launch target. The month on that window is January 2027, for the next launch of New Glenn. Blue Origin had been aiming for the end of this year before the memo named January 2027.

The following line in the memo sets the priority. “Returning New Glenn to flight remains our top priority — it’s worth it.” The launch he is prioritizing is the next New Glenn flight after the May explosion damaged the launchpad, ahead of a mission that would have brought Amazon Leo satellites into space. Blue Origin had been aiming for the end of this year. In October, Jeff Bezos told Fox News he was aiming for December and joked “probably December 31st.”

Blue Origin’s next launch now won’t happen: who is affected

Blue Origin staff are the people who received the new date. Dave Limp sent them the memo that CNBC and the Financial Times cite, placing the next New Glenn launch in January 2027. He wrote that this small adjustment does not diminish what the company has accomplished or the work still ahead, and that returning New Glenn to flight remains the top priority and is worth it. In October, founder Jeff Bezos told Fox News he was aiming for December, “probably December 31st.” The memo revises that public month.

Amazon Leo is the satellite program on the affected flight. The May explosion damaged Blue Origin’s New Glenn launchpad ahead of a flight that would have brought Amazon Leo satellites into space. Limp reportedly cited bad weather as having an effect on rebuilding that launchpad. The December target Bezos gave on Fox News, including the December 31st joke, is the one the staff memo moved to January 2027. CNBC says the new window is about 10 days later than the earlier launch target.

Blue Origin’s next launch now won’t happen: what to watch

January 2027 is the month Dave Limp’s memo gives for the next New Glenn launch. CNBC says the revised window is about 10 days later than Blue Origin’s earlier launch target. The earlier markers are the end-of-this-year aim that followed the May launchpad explosion, and Jeff Bezos’s October comments on Fox News about a December launch, “probably December 31st.” Limp calls the difference “this small adjustment.” CNBC and the Financial Times cite the memo for both the month and the 10-day gap.

Weather is already part of the record Limp gave staff. He cited bad weather as having an effect on the launchpad rebuilding process, according to CNBC and the Financial Times. The pad under rebuild is the New Glenn launchpad damaged in the May explosion, ahead of the flight that would have brought Amazon Leo satellites into space. Limp also wrote that returning New Glenn to flight remains the top priority and that it is worth it. Jay Peters reported those points at 8:47 PM UTC on Nov 5, 2026.