Just days before the highly anticipated launch of Blue Origin’s rockets, the company was fined for an earlier test of New Glenn that was carried out without permission.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has issued a $3,000 fine (including a $3,250 minimum cost) to Blue Origin for unauthorized use of a water-flooding system during a static fire test of its new Glenn rocket, according to local media. reports.
In September 2024, Blue Origin conducted a thermal test of its upcoming rocket at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The hot-fire test lasted 15 seconds, and its purpose “is to verify the interoperability between the systems under the second stage, its two BE-3U engines, and ground control systems,” Blue Origin wrote in a statement at the time. The FDEP, however, had not yet issued Blue Origin the necessary permit to use the proposed water flooding system, but the company continued to use it anyway, resulting in the fine.
“While Blue Origin applied for a permit for the LC-36 flood system by May 31, 2024, no permit has been issued to date and the program will not begin operations,” FDEP wrote in the letter. “This constant fire seems to be releasing untreated industrial waste water into the environment.”
Blue Origin’s heavy-lift vehicle will launch before Friday, January 10 during a three-hour launch window that opens at 1 a.m. ET. For its first flight, New Glenn will carry Blue Origin’s Blue Ring Pathfinder, and its launch will double as the rocket’s first certification flight, paving the way for it to carry national security payloads on future missions.
The rocket has been in development for nearly a decade, but a series of recent tests last year paved the way for its first takeoff. The New Glenn was originally scheduled to enter service in 2020, however, delays in the development of its seven BE-4 engines (built by Blue Origin) pushed back its first flight by several years.
Standing at nearly 320 feet (98 meters), New Glenn can lift 45 tons to low Earth orbit and 13 tons to Geostationary orbit. The rocket has a reusable first stage designed to last for 25 missions.
Like Blue Origin, industry rival SpaceX is also breaking the rules with its floodgates program. In 2023, SpaceX tested its water-flooding system without applying for the necessary environmental permits to do so. The company was fined for discharging contaminated water from the launch pad without a permit, but it left little impact on SpaceX. These fines were little more than a slap on the wrist—they were hardly a deterrent to the company of the world’s richest man. In August 2024, CNBC reported that SpaceX was accused of violating environmental laws by draining industrial water through a flood system at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas.
With the upcoming launch of New Glenn, Blue Origin may have a chance to compete with industry giant SpaceX, furthering the feud between the two rocket billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, both of whom are notorious for flouting the rules. Under the presidency of Donald Trump, with Musk at his side, these types of regulations may not work as well as the space industry looks to strengthen its operations without strings attached.