Since its delay, Blue Origin’s New Shepherd rocket is expected to launch on Friday, January 31. Originally, it was supposed to launch on January 28 but was postponed because of the weather. The uncrewed rocket is launching the so-called NS-29 mission from the Blue Origin launch site in West Texas.

The mission will launch 30 different experiments, most of them for NASA, aimed to test Moon technology.

Blue Origin New Shepherd

The New Shepherd rocket on the launch pad for NS-27; Photo: Blue Origin

This is Blue Origin’s first suborbital rocket to launch in 2025. According to company officials, the rocket will attempt a spin trick move to mimic the Moon’s gravity during the flight.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has not released an exact time when the rocket will launch on January 31. However, according to an FAA alert, the launch will occur during a window that opens at 11 a.m. The alert warned pilots of airspace restrictions on this day. This liftoff window is similar to the original time frame on January 28.

You can watch the rocket take off on various outlets. About 15 minutes before liftoff, Blue Origin will provide a live stream of the New Shepard launch on its website, BlueOrigin.com. A simulcast of that broadcast is expected to stream on Blue Origin’s YouTube page, X account.

New Shepherd’s Experiments

New Shepherd rocket taking off for NS-26 in August 2024; Photo: Blue Origin

29 of the 30 experiments launching with NS-29 aim to test technologies for the Moon. 17 are NASA experiments meant to test various instruments, anchors, and dust conveyors. In addition, other devices could be used on the lunar surface by future robots or astronauts.

NASA officials said in a statement that “the flight is expected to provide approximately two minutes of simulated lunar gravity, allowing researchers to test and de-risk innovations that could address critical shortfalls for the Artemis program, planetary exploration, and commercial space missions.”

Some notable experiments on the Blue Origin rocket include Electrostatic Dust Lofting, an experiment examining how moon dust is electrically charged and raised when exposed to ultraviolet light.

The rocket will also carry the Fluidic Operations in Reduced Gravity Experiment, which studies how to manage gases and liquids in space. Another interesting experiment is the Lunar-g Combustion Investigation. Called LUCI for short, this experiment aims to learn how materials behave when they catch fire in lunar gravity.