Blue Origin New Glenn rocket - News and Discussion

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Blue Origin rolls out powerful New Glenn rocket for testing ahead of Mars launch (video)

New Glenn is scheduled to launch NASA's ESCAPADE Mars mission in late October or November.

www.space.com

Blue Origin rolls out powerful New Glenn rocket for testing ahead of Mars launch (video)​

New Glenn is scheduled to launch NASA's ESCAPADE Mars mission in late October or November.

Jeff Bezos' company rolled a New Glenn first stage out to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday (Oct. 8) to help prep the vehicle for its upcoming liftoff.

That launch, which is expected to take place late this month or in November, will send NASA's twin ESCAPADE probes to Mars.

New Glenn stands about 320 feet tall (98 meters) when fully stacked. Like SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, the Blue Origin launcher features a reusable first stage.


New Glenn debuted this past January on a test flight that reached orbit as planned. Blue Origin tried to land the first stage on a ship at sea after liftoff that day but came up short.

Mission number two is an operational flight: It will send the two ESCAPADE ("Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers") orbiters rocketing toward the Red Planet, where they will study the Martian atmosphere and how it is affected by the solar wind and space weather.

Those two probes — which are named Blue and Gold, and were built by the California-based company Rocket Lab — arrived on Florida's Space Coast on Sept. 22.

Wednesday was a big day for Blue Origin. That same morning, the company sent six people to and from suborbital space on its New Shepard vehicle.

The mission, which launched from Blue Origin's West Texas site, was the company's 15th human spaceflight and the 36th overall launch of the New Shepard system.

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Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket on move to launch pad​

 

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Watch Blue Origin's huge New Glenn rocket launch NASA Mars mission on Nov. 9

Liftoff of the ESCAPADE mission is scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 9) at 2:45 p.m. ET.

www.space.com

Watch Blue Origin's huge New Glenn rocket launch NASA Mars mission on Nov. 9​

Liftoff of the ESCAPADE mission is scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 9) at 2:45 p.m. ET.

 

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Blue Origin scrubs second launch of New Glenn due to weather, cruise ship traffic | TechCrunch

It's an important launch for Jeff Bezos' space company, which is trying to prove its rockets can be re-used while delivering its first commercial payloads.

techcrunch.com

Blue Origin scrubs second launch of New Glenn due to weather, cruise ship traffic​

 

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This rocket is never going to compete with SpaceX

New Glenn Launch On Hold Due To Solar Activity | Aviation Week Network

Launch of NASA’s twin Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers spacecraft has been delayed by geomagnetic storms.

aviationweek.com

New Glenn Launch On Hold Due To Solar Activity​

 

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New Glenn 9×4 moves Blue Origin into super-heavy rocket class

Blue Origin is pushing deeper into heavy-lift competition with the New Glenn 9×4, a larger rocket featuring nine BE-4 engines.

interestingengineering.com

Blue Origin steps into Starship territory with massive New Glenn 9×4 super-heavy rocket​

Blue Origin’s New Glenn 9×4 introduces a higher-capacity design, wider fairing, and upgraded engines aimed at orbital, lunar, and national-security launches.

Blue Origin New Glenn 9x4 rocket graphic.

Blue Origin has revealed a super-heavy version of its New Glenn rocket, marking the company’s largest step yet toward higher-capacity orbital and lunar missions.

The new variant, called New Glenn 9×4, will deliver more than 70 metric tons to low Earth orbit and introduce a wider 8.7-meter fairing.

The company confirmed that the 9×4 will fly alongside the existing 7×2 version rather than replace it.

Bigger rocket, higher lift​

New Glenn 9×4 uses nine BE-4 engines on its first stage and four BE-3Us on its upper stage.

This expands the engine count from the seven-and-two layout in today’s configuration.

The new design pushes New Glenn into the super-heavy class, putting it closer to SpaceX’s Starship and above most existing commercial launchers.

The larger booster and upper stage expand mission possibilities.

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The 9×4 variant carries over 70 metric tons to low Earth orbit, more than 14 metric tons directly to geosynchronous orbit, and more than 20 metric tons to trans-lunar injection.

These numbers significantly expand Blue Origin’s reach across commercial, scientific, and national security missions.

The rocket’s expanded 8.7-meter fairing also supports larger satellites and bulkier multi-payload stacks.
Blue Origin said the design will enable launches for “mega-constellations, lunar and deep space exploration, and national security imperatives such as Golden Dome.”

Existing New Glenn also upgraded​

While the 9×4 dominated today’s update, Blue Origin also confirmed performance upgrades for the current New Glenn 7×2.

The company said enhancements “span propulsion, structures, avionics, reusability and recovery operations, and will be phased into upcoming New Glenn missions beginning with NG-3.”

The seven BE-4 engines on today’s booster will increase total thrust from 3.9 million lbf to 4.5 million lbf.

Blue Origin noted that “BE-4 has already demonstrated 625,000 lbf on the test stand at current propellant conditions and will achieve 640,000 lbf later this year,” with subcooled propellant raising thrust from 550,000 lbf.

The two BE-3Us on the second stage also gain thrust. Their total output rises from 320,000 pounds to 400,000 pounds over the coming flights.
The company said, “BE-3U has already demonstrated 211,658 lbf on the test stand.”

Other upgrades include reusable fairings, a new lower-cost tank design, and an improved thermal protection system to cut turnaround time.

Blue Origin emphasized that the 9×4 does not replace the 7×2. Instead, the company plans to operate both models to give customers a wider range of launch options.

The update stated, “Both vehicles: 9×4 and our current variant, 7×2, will serve the market concurrently,” allowing missions to match vehicle size, schedule, and performance needs.

The announcement comes days after New Glenn’s second successful flight, which carried NASA‘s ESCAPADE Mars probes and returned its booster to a ship.

With the new 9×4 design, Blue Origin aims to compete more aggressively in heavy-lift markets and strengthen its position in lunar transport programs.