Over the past few months, Blue Origin has been busy advancing many of its projects as target dates approached. New Glenn continues to move closer to launch, facilities are being expanded, BE-4 engines have been delivered to ULA, and New Shepard has returned to manned flights.
New Glen
As the September launch window for NASA’s EscaPADE mission to Mars approaches, teams are working toward the end of testing at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) to prepare the site for its first static fire and launch.
On March 12, Blue returned the first stage of the New Glenn Pathfinder after completing cryogenic and ground tests of the system on the launch pad. The 7-meter-wide, 45-meter-long stage made the trip back to the company’s campus at Exploration Park, just outside the gates of the Kennedy Space Center.
The first stage of the New Glenn track is transported back to the factory after cryogenic testing. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
While back at the first stage integration facility, it is likely that the stage will be inspected closely after the round of tests. From there, the stage will be integrated with an engine section and BE-4 engines capable of static fire, along with a flight-ready intermediate stage and possible air surfaces. It’s not yet clear if this booster will fly with the same hardware that performs the static fire, or if there will be additional upgrades before the vehicle is ready for flight.
In late March, Blue Origin moved the transporter’s second stage fitter to the launch pad for more tests and inspections. The second stage of the New Glenn has not yet been transported to the site of this structure, although Blue may still plan this test before the first flight of the New Glenn. The transporter second stage assembly has two cutouts in its base, suggesting the possibility of testing the twin BE-3U engines on the launch pad.
Most recently, on May 23, the New Glenn simulator rolled onto the main transporter pad to aid in further testing of the pad. According to Blue Origin, the tests will include energizing pumps to pressurize the vehicle’s hydraulic system, using ground systems to deliver cargo to the rocket, and testing the rapid retraction of the umbilicals. Such tests are an important part of the launch countdown for both a new rocket and new launch pad infrastructure.
NEWS: Blue Origin’s New Glenn landing barge has been named Landing Platform Vessel 1.
The vessel was captured passing through Istanbul as it moved from its construction yard in Romania. The barge is currently being fitted out in France.
Full photo credit and thanks to Daniil:… pic.twitter.com/xJWhf5JdCZ
— Gav Cornwell (@SpaceOffshore) May 30, 2024
A long-awaited update to the New Glenn Marine Landing Platform recently arrived after Landing Platform Ship 1 was moved from Romania to France. The modified barge is still under construction as large amounts of scaffolding remain on board. According to the documentation, the vessel measures 116 x 46m. It is currently unclear when it will be transported to Port Canaveral – but when it does, it will bring the New Glenn one step closer to being put on the market.
All of these developments bring New Glenn and its infrastructure closer to the first launch, which is still planned for later this year.
Research Park
At Blue’s Space Coast rocket manufacturing campus, work continues to support not only New Glenn production and operations, but other company programs such as Blue Moon.
Groundwork for the Lunar Assembly Facility is underway at Blue Origin’s campus. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
Recent documents from Space Florida reveal that Blue is currently working on building a Lunar Assembly Facility (also called the Project’s Lunar Manufacturing Facility). This replaces the planned composite assembly building, which was revealed through public planning documents in 2022. Groundwork for this approximately 18,000 square meter building is currently underway, although an estimated completion date is unknown.
Blue Origin still aims to launch the first cargo lunar lander, Blue Moon MK1, at New Glenn in early 2025 as a pilot to test the system’s technologies. After the MK1 cargo lander, Blue was contracted by NASA to land cargo and crew on the Moon as part of the Artemis program with its MK2 lander. With that in mind, it makes sense that Blue would want to ensure it has enough space to manufacture its drop modules right on the Space Coast.
To help with all of this, Blue is also in the process of building a new parking garage to support the growing number of employees and contractors on site, as well as older plans showing that the company intends to build more buildings on top of an existing large parking area on the south side of campus.
Second scene of New Glenn inside the 2CAT building. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
During a flyover last month, a second-stage New Glenn tank was captured standing upright in the 2CAT building on Blue’s property. Here, the stages are considered to undergo pressure testing before proceeding to the next steps in production. Nearby, what appeared to be a wrapped section of New Glenn’s first stage lay outside on cradles.
BE-4 testing and deliveries
In the past few months, local residents in the Huntsville area — home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center — have reported an increase in rocket engine testing coming from the area. NASA and Blue Origin signed an agreement for commercial space launches in 2019, where the company will refurbish the historic 4670 test bed for use with its BE-3U and BE-4 engines. The increase in testing bodes well not only for the New Glenn, which requires seven BE-4s in the first stage and two BE-3Us in the second stage, but also for ULA’s Vulcan rocket, which uses two BE-4 engines per rocket.
I notice a pair of BE4 engines about to go to their USSF106 booster, #Rocket Vulcan the first national security mission. #CrowdedFactory pic.twitter.com/aU3fRciEEO
— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) May 29, 2024
In addition to these reports, ULA CEO Tory Bruno recently shared an image showing two BE-4 engines and a Vulcan first stage, both of which will power the rocket’s third mission. Bruno recently commented that the delivery rate of BE-4 engines for the Vulcan was two per month and had increased to one and a half per week.
New Shepard
After an in-flight anomaly caused by New Shepard’s BE-3 engine nozzle in September 2022 and a successful return to flight with an uncrewed mission in December 2023, New Shepard once again took to the skies with passengers aboard May 19. The group of six rode the New Shepard to 107 km and back for a total mission time of just under 10 minutes.
New Shepard takes off during mission NS-25. (Credit: Blue Origin)
While the flight was completed safely, it was noticed that only two of the three main parachutes were deployed on the capsule. Although the ship is only designed to land safely on two main chutes, there’s no doubt that Blue will investigate this before the next mission.
(Main image: The new Glenn simulator is launched on the LC-36 to further test ground systems. Credit: Blue Origin)
