Blue Origin has postponed the launch of its New Shepard Mission NS-37 after engineers detected an issue during routine pre-flight checks, the company said in an update.

In a statement, Blue Origin announced that the mission will not launch earlier than Saturday, December 20. The launch window is scheduled to open at 8:00 a.m. CST (14:00 UTC), with a live webcast set to begin approximately 20 minutes before liftoff.

“We are standing down from today’s NS-37 mission after the launch team observed an issue with our built-in checks prior to the flight,” the company said, adding that teams are actively assessing the situation and reviewing the system data. “We are assessing our next opportunity for launch.”

Company officials emphasized that the decision to delay was taken out of an abundance of caution, consistent with Blue Origin’s safety-first approach. No crew or payload were placed at risk, as the issue was identified before the vehicle was cleared for flight.

In an updated briefing, Blue Origin said engineering teams are continuing diagnostics and verification procedures to determine whether the issue can be resolved in time for the December 20 window or if an additional delay will be required. The company noted that no changes have been announced regarding the mission profile, and it will provide further updates once the review is complete.

New Shepard missions are part of Blue Origin’s suborbital program, designed to support scientific research, technology demonstrations, and commercial spaceflight. Launch schedules are often subject to change due to technical checks and weather conditions.

Blue Origin said it remains committed to transparency and will announce a confirmed launch date once all systems are verified and cleared for flight. (ILKHA)