Blue Origin Announces New Glenn Third Stage, New Booster Engine
Blue Origin has unveiled a third stage called GS3 for its New Glenn rocket, designed to deliver satellite constellations directly to geostationary orbit and support heavy-lift missions to the Moon and deep space. The company also announced Northstar, a new methalox booster engine that it says produces 715,000 pounds of thrust while cutting mass by 30% and parts by 50% compared with the BE-4.…
Blue Origin has introduced a new third stage for its New Glenn rocket, named GS3, capable of placing satellite constellations directly into geostationary orbit and supporting heavy-lift missions to the Moon and deep space. Additionally, the company unveiled Northstar, a new methalox booster engine, which boasts increased thrust, reduced mass, and fewer parts compared to the BE-4 engine.
The GS3 will be powered by one BE-7 engine, developed for Blue Origin's Blue Moon spacecraft, intended for NASA's Artemis program lunar landers. While Blue Moon land missions won't require GS3-equipped New Glenn rockets, the third stage will facilitate rapid transit to the Moon and return to Earth, due to its ability to deliver substantial payload mass directly to trans-lunar injection.
Blue Origin has already secured a GS3 mission from a government customer, with a launch scheduled for 2028. Furthermore, the company is developing a new first-stage engine called Northstar, which offers improved performance and manufacturing efficiency compared to the BE-4 engine.
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