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The launch of a huge, partially reusable rocket, built by Jeff Bezos’s company, has been called off this morning after hours of delays.

The 98-metre rocket, called New Glenn, is around as tall as Big Ben. It was set to carry up to 45 tonnes of tech to low Earth orbit.

However, the team at Blue Origin, Amazon founder Mr Bezos’s space technology company, confirmed this morning that the launch was called off.

The decision came following a series of delays due to unspecified issues.

As it happened: See our coverage from the launch

New Glenn on the launch pad in December. Pic: Blue Origin
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New Glenn on the launch pad at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in December. Pic: Blue Origin

The team said they would work out a new date for lift-off, adding: “We can’t wait to get right back here for our next launch attempt.”

The team said earlier this morning that they were “working through anomalies”.

Speaking in an interview before the launch, Mr Bezos said “the thing we’re most nervous about is the booster landing”.

“Clearly on a first flight you could have an anomaly at any mission phase, so anything could happen,” he said.

New Glenn’s builders hope it will challenge SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which has become the go-to workhorse to get heavy cargo into space.

However, it has taken Blue Origin years to get to this point.

They started developing the orbital rocket almost a decade ago, but setbacks and delays pushed back its maiden voyage.

Ahead of the launch, SpaceX founder and X owner Elon Musk, shared his support, writing “good luck” in a response to a post by Blue Origin on his platform.

Reusable first stage

The rocket – named New Glenn in honour of NASA astronaut John Glenn, has two stages, one of which is reusable.

The first, reusable stage will use seven engines to blast the rocket off the launch pad into higher, thinner air and then drop back to Earth to land on a sea platform called Jacklyn.

New Glenn's enormous first stage is transported from its factory. Pic: Blue Origin
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New Glenn’s enormous first stage is transported from its factory. Pic: Blue Origin

That first stage is built to fly at least 25 times, making it more cost-effective and sustainable than building new rockets for every flight.

The second, disposable stage is where cargo and items needed for missions will be stored.

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The two restartable engines on board will kick in once the first stage has used up all its fuel.

They’ll take the rest of the spacecraft out to orbit.

New Glenn could be a gamechanger



Tom Clarke

Science and technology editor

@t0mclark3

The New Glenn rocket is one to watch in the world of space.

Partially reusable and capable of lifting heavy payloads into Earth orbit or even the Moon or Mars, it promises to be a serious rival to Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9.

With his first big rocket only scheduled for launch now, you’d be forgiven for thinking Amazon boss Jeff Bezos was a latecomer to the billionaire boys club sending shiny machines into space.

In fact, Bezos founded his space venture Blue Origin 25 years ago, before Elon Musk created SpaceX and Richard Branson launched Virgin Galactic.

His rocket business kept a low profile until 2015 when it launched its sub-orbital space tourism vehicle New Shepherd 100km above the Earth.

While New Shephard can be dismissed as a billionaire’s plaything for millionaire passengers, New Glenn could be a game changer.

It’s a key tool to deliver Bezos’s Project Kuiper satellite broadband network – a direct challenge to Musk’s Starlink system.

Blue Origin is also working on a lunar lander and, its thought, crew capsules so it can offer its services ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station or be part of NASA’s plans to return humans to the Moon.

New Glenn is set to carry Blue Ring, an experimental “space tug” and satellite support platform, but for Jeff Bezos, there’s a lot more riding on this rocket than that.

Cargo

Rockets like this are designed to take things into orbit or out to space, so they need to be able to carry cargo.

When Mr Musk launched SpaceX’s first Falcon Heavy rocket in 2018, he popped his old red Tesla Roadster on board.

Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster was launched into space during a Falcon Heavy test flight in 2018. Pic: SpaceX
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Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster was launched into space during a Falcon test flight in 2018. Pic: SpaceX

The Blue Ring Pathfinder heading into New Glenn's huge cargo area. Pic: Blue Origin
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The Blue Ring Pathfinder heading into New Glenn’s huge cargo area. Pic: Blue Origin

Mr Bezos hasn’t done anything as showy as that. Instead, he loaded a prototype cargo carrier onto New Glenn, called the Blue Ring Pathfinder.

In the future, the Pathfinder will be able to carry 3,000kg of scientific gear into space and deliver it to different locations in orbit.

During this test flight, the team back on the ground will make sure they can establish communications with the Pathfinder once it is in orbit.

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Trump says he and Starmer will meet ‘very soon’

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Trump says he and Starmer will meet 'very soon'

Donald Trump has confirmed he will meet Sir Keir Starmer “very soon” after the prime minister “asked to come” to the US.

Mr Trump discussed details of his phone call with Sir Keir while taking questions from the media in the White House’s Oval Office on Friday.

“He asked for a meeting, and I agreed to the meeting,” the US president told reporters.

“We’re going to have a friendly meeting – very good.”

Donald Trump and Keir Starmer.
Pic:Reuters
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Donald Trump and Keir Starmer will meet ‘very soon’, the president indicated. Pic: Reuters

He added: “We have a lot of good things going on. But he asked to come and see me and I just accepted his asking.”

The date for their meeting is unknown. When pressed, Mr Trump said it will happen “very soon”.

“I think he wants to come next week… or the week after,” he added.

When asked by a reporter what they will discuss, Mr Trump said: “I don’t know. It was his request, not mine.”

“I met him twice already, we get along very well, he’s a very nice guy,” the president said of Sir Keir.

Sir Keir Starmer meets with the US Special Envoy to the UK, Mark Burnett and others. Pic: Instagram/USA in UK
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Sir Keir Starmer meets with the US Special Envoy to the UK, Mark Burnett and others. Pic: Instagram/USA in UK

The call between the president and prime minister is understood to have happened on Thursday during Sir Keir’s meeting with Mark Burnett, Washington’s special envoy to the UK.

The prime minister and Mr Burnett discussed the UK-US ‘special relationship’, and potential “further collaboration” on trade, technology, and culture.

An Instagram story for the US Embassy in London said that, during the dinner, President Trump called Mr Burnett, who “passed the phone to the PM”.

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A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The prime minister was pleased to host President Trump’s special envoy to the United Kingdom, Mark Burnett, at Downing Street last night, during which he took a call from President Trump and discussed his forthcoming visit to the US.”

She added: “Mr Burnett and the prime minister agreed on the unique and special nature of the UK-US relationship, the strength of our alliance, and the warmth of the connection between the two countries.”

Sir Keir’s upcoming trip comes as the United Kingdom faces the potential threat of trade tariffs set by the US.

Mr Trump announced plans to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on all countries that impose extra costs on goods from the US, including countries which charge VAT on goods, like the UK.

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Donald Trump triggers prospect of global trade war over ‘reciprocal’ tariff plan – increasing risk of tensions and inflation

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Donald Trump triggers prospect of global trade war over 'reciprocal' tariff plan - increasing risk of tensions and inflation

The US president has promised to target countries which charge tax on US imports by matching them with a reciprocal tariff.

Donald Trump has ordered his team to start calculating duties by early April – increasing fears of a global trade war that could also accelerate US inflation.

“On trade, I have decided for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff, meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them. No more, no less,” he posted on Truth Social.

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What is America’s trade position?

It is set to spark negotiations with dozens of countries aimed at lowering their tariffs and trade barriers. The US wants to shrink its goods trade deficit which topped $1.2trn (£954bn) last year.

A White House official said that countries with large US trade surpluses could be targeted first. The top five are China, Mexico, Vietnam, Ireland and Germany, according to the US Census Bureau.

Trump’s total trade war


Paul Kelso - Health correspondent

Paul Kelso

Business and economics correspondent

@pkelso

Taken at face value Donald Trump’s embrace of reciprocal tariffs is a declaration of total trade war.

It would amount to perhaps the single biggest peacetime shock to global commerce.

In promising to levy import taxes on any nation that imposes tariffs or VAT on US exports, he is following through on a campaign promise.

The aim is to address a near trillion dollar trade deficit – the difference between the value of America’s exports and its imports – that he believes amounts to a tax on American jobs.

In response, he wants to deploy tariffs to simultaneously ease the US deficit and – in theory – price out imports in favour of domestic production.

His primary targets appear to be the major trading partners with whom the trading deficit is greatest.

It is a blow to the emerging view in Whitehall that Britain might wriggle through the chaos relatively unscathed.

Read more from Paul here.

UK government minister Pat McFadden told Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that Britain will take a “wait and see” approach when it comes to the tariffs. He refused to say if the government would retaliate.

Trump latest: New tariffs signal ‘total trade war’

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The UK could be hit with tariffs as high as 24% if Mr Trump follows through on his threats to treat VAT as a tariff, according to Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist at Capital Economics.

Although some estimates are lower, he thinks Britain would be the fourth hardest hit, following India (29%), Brazil (28%) and the EU (25%).

This is based on VAT rates combined with existing tariffs, but the Trump administration also intends to take into account regulations, government subsidies, digital services taxation policies and exchange rate policies.

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“Most people would consider VAT to be a non-discriminatory tax since it is also applied to domestically-produced goods making a level playing field,” said Mr Ashworth.

But the US still argues that VAT is a form of discriminatory tariff because America applies a much lower average sales tax at state level.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks as President Donald Trump listens during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
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Narendra Modi and Donald Trump at the White House. Pic: AP

On Thursday, Mr Trump also held a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, agreeing to join forces on artificial intelligence, semiconductors and strategic minerals.

During a news conference afterwards, Mr Trump said India has been “very strong on tariffs” and “it’s very hard to sell into India”, adding: “They’re going to be purchasing a lot of our oil and gas.”

India’s tariff rates are the highest, according to the World Trade Organisation, with a simple average 17% rate for all products compared to 3.3% for the US.

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Risk of rising US prices could be biggest brake on Donald Trump’s tariff plan

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Risk of rising US prices could be biggest brake on Donald Trump's tariff plan

Taken at face value Donald Trump’s embrace of reciprocal tariffs is a declaration of total trade war, that would amount to perhaps the single biggest peacetime shock to global commerce.

In promising to levy import taxes on any nation that imposes tariffs or VAT on US exports, he is following through on a campaign promise to address a near trillion dollar trade deficit – the difference between the value of America’s exports and its imports – that he believes amounts to a tax on American jobs.

In response, he wants to deploy tariffs as an “external revenue service”, simultaneously easing the US deficit and, so the theory goes, pricing out imports in favour of domestic production.

Follow latest: Trump’s trading tariffs

With a promise to reestablish industries, from chip production lost to Taiwan, and car and pharmaceutical manufacturing to Europe, he is promising a country-by-country tailored assault on the status quo.

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Donald Trump unveils new tariffs for trading partners

Risk to Britain remains uncertain

His primary targets appear to be the major trading partners with whom the trading deficit is greatest.

Mexico and Canada, the European Union (whose 10% tariff on US cars is a particular irritation), as well as the ‘BRICS’ nations – Brazil, Russia, India (which imposes 9% tariffs on US imports), China and South Africa.

What it means for the UK will not be certain until the details are revealed in April, but it is a blow to the emerging view in Whitehall that Britain might wriggle through the chaos relatively unscathed.

To begin with, the US runs a trade surplus with the UK – in a quirk of statistics, the UK thinks it has a surplus too – and Brexit has placed it outside the EU bloc with the ability at least in theory to be more agile.

The UK also imposes direct tariffs on very few US goods following a deal in 2021, brokered by then trade secretary Liz Truss, that removed tariffs on denim and motorcycles bound for Britain, and cashmere and Scotch whisky heading the other way.

But we do add VAT to imports, and Mr Trump’s threat to treat the sales tax as a tariff by another name will chill British exporters.

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President Donald Trump listens as he meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Donald Trump accepts his tariffs will be inflationary for the US. Pic: AP

Tariffs set to raise prices in US

Analysts have estimated tariffs could add 21% to the cost of exports, amounting to a £24bn blow to national income.

Pharmaceuticals, cars, chemicals, scientific instruments and the aerospace industry – the main components of our £182bn US export trade – will all be potentially affected.

But the pain will certainly be shared.

Tariffs are paid by the importer, not the exporter, and even Mr Trump accepts they will be inflationary.

Rising prices on Main Street could yet be the biggest brake on the president’s tariff plan.

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