A gigantic solar storm delayed the launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, and sparked fears of wider damage to satellites and electronic networks.
The Jeff Bezos-backed space company hoped to demonstrate a reusable booster on its so-called heavy lift rocket, as part of a mission to help two NASA spacecraft set off for Mars. The solar storm has triggered spectacular auroras as far south as Florida, and fueled concerns about broader destruction; several Starlink satellites were destroyed in a 2022 storm.
Space weather remains a danger to the space industry, just as actual weather was a danger for oceanic shipping in bygone centuries. But the risks are worth taking: Cape Canaveral just yesterday broke its own record for the number of space launches in a year, with six weeks of 2025 still to go.