Jeff Bezos' 61st birthday on January 12 was set to be a marquee one for the tech giant, as came on the eve of a new milestone with his space technology company, Blue Origin.
Blue Origin's new heavy-lift launch vehicle, New Glenn, named after famed astronaut John Glenn, was scheduled for take off in the wee hours of Monday, January 13, paving the way for the company to compete against Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Design work on the rocket began back in early 2012, and it was officially announced to the public in 2016. The full vehicle was finally unveiled in February 2024 and scheduled for a Q1 2025 launch.
However, a timer and livestream for the launch was set in the late hours of January 12, and the time for launch kept getting delayed further and further, finally set at 3:15 AM EST.
Due to technical issues, though, the launch was eventually canceled. Minutes before the launch was slated to take place, Blue Origin shared on X: "We want to be clear about our objectives. This is our first flight and we've prepared rigorously for it."
"But no amount of ground testing or mission simulations is a replacement for flying this rocket. Our key objective today is to reach orbit safely. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake. We know landing the booster on our first try offshore in the Atlantic is ambitious — but we're going for it. No matter what happens, we'll learn, refine, and apply that knowledge to our next launch."
Six minutes before launch time, however, it was announced that the launch would be canceled, with Blue Origin sharing: "We're standing down on today's launch attempt to troubleshoot a vehicle subsystem issue that will take us beyond our launch window. We're reviewing opportunities for our next launch attempt."
MORE: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez host star-studded dinner after surprising wedding comment
Days before the launch, Jeff took to his own X page with a photograph of the rocket's thrusters, excitedly penning: "Leave before launch." His fiancée Lauren Sánchez has been by his side throughout the process.
The former journalist has spoken often of her desire to commandeer an all-female crew aboard one of her partner's space vehicles, the New Shepard, and cheered him on when the launch date for New Glenn was announced on social media as well. Her debut children's book released last year, The Fly Who Flew to Space, is also inspired by Jeff's space adventures.
MORE: Jeff Bezos responds to $600 million Lauren Sanchez wedding reports
She previously told Good Day LA of her upcoming voyage to space: "Women are explorers, too! Jeff always tells me that he's like, you know, you're an explorer. So I'm excited to take all these women out."
She originally teased that the launch would happen in 2024, and planned to announce her fellow astronauts in the months leading up to it. As of writing, an official launch date has not yet been revealed.
MORE: Lauren Sanchez sparks major Jeff Bezos speculation after 'powerful' move
Lauren also gushed to People: "I'm extremely excited. We haven't announced the date yet, but it will be this year. And we'll start announcing my fellow astronauts in the coming months."
She added: "I haven't really thought about it too much, but once we get closer to the actual date I might feel a little more nervous. But I know it's really safe and I think it's going to be an incredible adventure."