Blue Origin unveils more thrust, less haste as New Glenn slips to 2027
Leaked staff memo pushes return to flight into January, overshadowing third-stage and engine announcements
Blue Origin delayed the return to flight of its New Glenn rocket to January 2027, according to a leaked memo from CEO Dave Limp. The setback comes after the rocket exploded during a ground test in May, causing extensive damage to the launchpad. Despite initial plans to launch this year, company officials now acknowledge the task is more challenging than previously thought.
Limp praised the team's efforts in overcoming the setback, but emphasized the importance of taking a more measured approach. The delay comes at a crucial time, as Blue Origin is competing with NASA's Artemis III mission, which aims to return humans to the Moon in 2025. To aid in future missions, Blue Origin unveiled two new developments: GS3, a third stage for New Glenn designed for direct injection into geostationary orbit and Earth-escape trajectories, and Northstar, a booster engine boasting half the components and 30 percent less mass than the previous BE-4, with increased thrust from 640,000 to 715,000 pounds-force.
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