Blue Origin slapped with a fine before launching New Glenn

Just days before Blue Origin’s highly anticipated rocket launch, the company was fined for a previous New Glenn test that was conducted without a permit.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has issued a $3,000 fine (add up to $3,250 plus costs) to Blue Origin for unauthorized use of a water deluge system during static fire testing of the New Glenn rocket, according to local media. Reports.

In September 2024, Blue Origin conducted a fueling test of its upcoming rocket at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Hot fire test I continue for 15 seconds, and was intended to “validate interactions between subsystems on the second stage, its BE-3U engines, and ground control systems,” Blue Origin wrote in a statement at the time. However, the FDEP has not yet issued Blue Origin the required permission to use the launch pad’s water dousing system, but the company went ahead and used it anyway, resulting in the fine.

“While Blue Origin applied for a permit for the LC-36 deluge system on May 31, 2024, no permit has been issued to date and the system may not be placed in service,” FDEP wrote in a letter. “This static fire appears to constitute an intentional, unauthorized discharge of untreated industrial wastewater into the environment.”

Blue Origin’s heavy-lift vehicle is It is scheduled to be released no later than Friday, January 10 During the three-hour launch window that opens at 1 a.m. ET. On its inaugural flight, New Glenn will carry Blue Origin aircraft blue ring pathfinder, Its debut will mark the missile’s first certification flight, paving the way for it to carry national security payloads on future missions.

The missile has been in development for nearly a decade, but a recent series of tests conducted last year paved the way for its first launch. New Glenn was originally scheduled to debut in 2020, but development delays on its seven BE-4 engines (designed by Blue Origin) led to its inaugural flight being postponed by several years.

New Glenn is about 320 feet (98 m) tall and is capable of lifting 45 tons into low Earth orbit and 13 tons into geostationary orbit. The rocket features a reusable first stage designed to last for 25 missions.

Like Blue Origin, industry rival SpaceX has also bypassed regulations with its launch pad water deluge system. In 2023, SpaceX tested its water deluge system Without applying for environmental permits necessary to do this. The company was fined for discharging wastewater around the launch pad without a permit, but that didn’t have a major impact on SpaceX. The fines were just a slap on the wrist, and were no deterrent to a company owned by the world’s richest man. In August 2024, CNBC I mentioned That SpaceX had violated environmental regulations by releasing industrial water through a deluge system at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas.

With the debut of New Glenn, Blue Origin may have a chance to compete with industry giant SpaceX, further fueling a feud between rocket billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, both of whom are known for their disdain for regulations. Under a Donald Trump presidency, and with Musk at his side, these types of regulations could become less effective as the space industry looks to advance its activities without restrictions.