🔗 Share this article Jeff Bezos' Space Firm's Latest Mission Postponed Because of Inclement Atmospheric Situation The aerospace company, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, had to delay the highly anticipated liftoff of its powerful launch vehicle on Sunday due to unfavorable weather factors at Cape Canaveral. Mission Postponement Reasons Rainfall and a ground system issue led to early setbacks, then came thick clouds as the narrow time frame for launch closed, leaving managers to push back the rocket’s planned second mission. Competition between Bezos' firm and Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been heating up in recent months. New Launch Window To ease traffic in the skies during the US federal government shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration is restricting private space launches starting the beginning of the week. After scrubbing the mission, Blue Origin said on Sunday evening that, in coordination with the FAA, it was aiming for another attempt as early as Wednesday within a window of afternoon hours Eastern Standard time. Launch Goals Upon successful liftoff, the 98-meter New Glenn rocket will transport the US space agency's Escapade twin spacecraft to Mars, in an effort to examine the Martian atmospheric past with the long-term goal of sending people there. The mission will also serve as a key test of its ability to perform reusable rocket landing, which would prove a major advancement for the company if successful. Previous Flight New Glenn’s inaugural flight in January was marked as a achievement, as its payload achieved orbit and successfully performed experiments. But its first-stage booster, which was meant to be recoverable, did not stick its touchdown on a platform in the ocean, and ended up destroyed during descent. Recovery Efforts In its second effort the launch provider will try once more to land the booster stage. Thus far, only Musk’s company SpaceX has achieved that accomplishment. Industry Competition Rival firms of billionaires Musk and Bezos are engaged in a commercial space race that has grown more intense lately, as NASA began accepting proposals for its planned moon mission, complaining that one company was lagging behind. The current administration has seen the administration push the agency to accelerate its timeline to launch astronauts to the lunar surface in competition against China. More rivalry between the two firms could “expand our options with regard to liftoff.” “More launches means more ideas in orbit,” a former NASA chief technologist said. “It isn't a negative to have the competitor, even trailing behind.”