The seven engines of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket roared to life Friday, concluding an extensive test campaign on Florida's Space Coast of the 320-foot-tall rocket ahead of its maiden flight.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX announced that it’s gearing up for its next Falcon 9 rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast on Friday night. In a release, company officials said the launch will send a communications satellite into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on behalf of the UAE-based company Yahsat.

Stay tuned. Crews at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are gearing up for a busy January, including SpaceX Starlink internet satellite missions, Blue Origin's maiden flight of the mighty New Glenn rocket, and the NASA-SpaceX Blue Ghost moon lander mission.

Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket comes in at a towering 320 feet tall — which is equivalent to a 32-story skyscraper. Still, it's overshadowed by SpaceX's Starship, which current launches from Texas and may launch from Kennedy Space Center in the coming years.

Blue Origin’s drone ship Jacklyn headed out to sea ahead of the first flight and landing of the company’s New Glenn rocket.

Blue Origin wanted to launch its huge New Glenn rocket by the end of 2024, but that didn't happen. Now, it joins seven other launches scheduled for January at the Space Coast. Click for details.