Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket Nears Launch Pad as CEO Jeff Bezos Observes Progress
Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, is making significant progress with its New Glenn rocket. On Wednesday, a full-scale New Glenn rocket, made up of flight hardware, was rolled out to a launch pad in Florida for ground testing. This marks a major milestone for Blue Origin, as it moves closer to launching its first rocket into orbit.
The first launch of the New Glenn rocket is expected to take place later this year, although it has faced several delays in the past. Blue Origin’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, was present at Cape Canaveral to witness the rocket on the launch pad for the first time. Bezos expressed his excitement on Instagram, stating, “Just incredible to see New Glenn on the pad at LC-36. Big year ahead. Let’s go!”
Under the leadership of Dave Limp, Blue Origin’s new CEO, the company has been pushing to accelerate its progress. In December, elements of the New Glenn rocket were transported from the factory to a final assembly hangar at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Technicians then connected the first stage booster with an upper stage for ground testing. The final addition to the rocket was a 23-foot-diameter payload fairing, designed to protect spacecraft during launch.
Last week, Blue Origin conducted a successful test of the lifting arm at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36), which will be used to raise the New Glenn rocket vertically. On Wednesday, the fully assembled rocket was rolled out of the hangar and raised into position on the launch mount. Standing at over 320 feet tall, New Glenn is one of the largest rockets ever seen on Florida’s Space Coast.
The upcoming months will involve further testing and demonstrations of cryogenic fluid loading, pressure control, and venting systems. Blue Origin plans to load the test vehicle with cryogenic liquid nitrogen to simulate the propellants used during an actual launch. The rocket will then undergo additional testing on its booster and upper stage engines before returning to LC-36 for a hotfire of the engines.
New Glenn has a payload capacity of nearly 100,000 pounds and is capable of launching lunar landers for NASA’s Artemis program. The first stage booster is reusable and will land on a sea-based platform in the Atlantic Ocean. Blue Origin aims for the booster to complete a minimum of 25 missions.
Blue Origin, which employs around 11,000 people across various locations in the United States, is also working on other projects such as cargo and human-rated lunar landers for NASA. The success of New Glenn is crucial for the company’s future plans.
While the exact launch date for New Glenn has not been announced, Blue Origin is confident that it will happen this year. The first test flight may carry small NASA satellites bound for Mars, with a launch date potentially in August 2024. Blue Origin is also considering using New Glenn to send the missions directly to Mars instead of launching them into an initial orbit around Earth.
Although the development of rockets often faces unforeseen challenges during the final phase, Blue Origin remains optimistic about launching New Glenn this year. Jarrett Jones, Blue Origin’s vice president of New Glenn, stated, “We’re launching this year. It’s happening. Our plan is to launch twice this year.”
With the progress made by Blue Origin and the anticipation surrounding the first launch of New Glenn, it is clear that exciting times lie ahead for the company and the future of space exploration.