Spotted! Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Testing Ahead Of Launch Date

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Thursday afternoon, the massive 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket sat on Launch Pad 36 at Cape Canaveral, steam billowing from it − indicating fuel was being poured into the rocket .

Blue Origin's promised wet dress rehearsal may have been underway, where New Glenn would be fueled, but not launched. After multiple hours of steam venting from the rocket, all activity stopped − signaling they concluded the test.

The engines were apparently not fired, so this was not a hot fire test − which will come next if Thursday's test was successful. During a hot fire test, New Glenn's seven engines will fire, but the rocket will not launch.

This venting was clearly seen on the live video feed shown on the spaceflightnow.com website − their camera zoomed in.

If all is found to have gone well during these tests, the rocket's debut launch may occur soon − which will be a great show from the Brevard beaches. The Blue Origin complex is the only one visible from the beach, and is easily mistaken for SpaceX or NASA.

Will they make it? Time will tell as a launch window is not yet listed on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warnings. The Space Coast Office of Tourism has the launch listed as occurring no earlier than December 30.

The New Glenn rocket is the first multi-stage rocket by private space company, Blue Origin, which was founded by former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The rocket is named for the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn.