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 has rescheduled its return to flight to January 2027, according to a leaked staff memo from CEO Dave Limp, which downplays the company's recent announcements of a new third stage and booster engine. The delay follows the catastrophic explosion of the New Glenn rocket during a ground test in May, which extensively damaged the launchpad.
Despite initial claims of flying this year, the company's optimism seems unrealistic after the incident. In the memo, Limp commended the team's efforts but updated the anticipated launch date to January 2027, leaving less time before NASA's Artemis III mission next year. Blue Origin unveiled GS3, a third stage designed for missions including direct injection into geostationary orbit and Earth-escape trajectories, with a cislunar mission contract scheduled for 2028.
Although not essential for its lunar lander architecture, GS3 could support sustained operations around the Moon. The company also introduced Northstar, a booster engine with half the parts and 30 percent less mass than the BE-4, but 15,000 pounds-force more thrust. The leak reveals that the team has identified and fixed the anomaly causing the explosion, but details remain scarce.
Written by urgent.news from The Register's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
