In recent months, Blue Origin has been busy realizing many of its projects as the target dates approach. The new Glenn is getting closer to launch, facilities are being expanded, BE-4 engines have been delivered to ULA, and the New Shepard has returned to crewed flights.
New Glenn
As the September launch of NASA’s EscaPADE Mars mission approaches, teams are working toward the end of testing at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) to prepare the site for the first static fire and launch.
On March 12, Blue rolled back the New Glenn Pathfinder’s first stage after completing cryogenic and ground system testing on the launch pad. The 23-foot-wide and 150-foot-long stage made the trek back to the corporate campus in Exploration Park, just outside the gates of the Kennedy Space Center.
The New Glenn Pathfinder first stage is transported back to the factory after cryogenic testing. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
While we are back at the first phase integration facility, the phase is likely to be closely inspected after the round of testing. From there, the stage will be integrated with an engine section and BE-4 engines capable of supporting a static fire, in addition to a flight-ready intermediate stage and possible aero surfaces. It is still unclear whether this booster will fly with the same hardware it uses to perform the static fire, or whether further upgrades will take place before the vehicle is ready to fly.
In late March, Blue Origin rolled the second stage transporter founder to the launch pad for more testing and checking. A second stage has not yet been transported from New Glenn to the platform on this structure, although Blue may have that test scheduled before New Glenn’s first flight. The second stage transporter riser has two cutouts at its base, suggesting the possibility of testing the twin BE-3U engines on the launch pad.
More recently, on May 23, the new Glenn Simulator rolled to the pad on the main transporter founder to support further pad testing. According to Blue Origin, the tests included turning on pumps to pressurize the vehicle’s hydraulic system, using ground systems to deliver raw materials to the rocket, and a rapid retraction test of the umbilical connections. Such tests are an important part of the countdown to the launch of both a new rocket and new launch pad infrastructure.
NEWS: Blue Origin’s new Glenn landing ship is called Landing Platform Vessel 1.
The ship was captured while passing through Istanbul as it was being moved from its construction yard in Romania. The ship is currently being completed in France.
Full photo credits and thanks to Daniil:… pic.twitter.com/xJWhf5JdCZ
— Gav Cornwell (@SpaceOffshore) May 30, 2024
A long-awaited update on New Glenn’s offshore landing platform recently arrived as Landing Platform Ship 1 was moved from Romania to France. The modified ship is still under construction because there are still large amounts of scaffolding on board. According to documentation, the ship has a size of 116 x 46 meters. It is currently unclear when it will be transported to Port Canaveral, but if it does, it will bring New Glenn one step closer to launch.
All of these developments bring New Glenn and its infrastructure closer to its first launch, which is still scheduled for later this year.
Exploration Park
Blue’s Space Coast rocket manufacturing campus is working to support not only New Glenn’s production and operations, but also the company’s other programs, such as Blue Moon.
Groundwork for the Lunar Assembly Facility is in full swing on Blue Origin’s campus. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
Recent documents from Space Florida show that Blue is currently working on the construction of a Lunar Assembly Facility (also called Project Lunar Production Facility). This will replace the planned Composite Assembly Building which was unveiled via public planning documents in 2022. The earthworks for this approximately 18,000 square meter building are currently underway, although the expected completion date is unknown.
Blue Origin still aims to launch the first Blue Moon MK1 cargo lunar lander at New Glenn in early 2025 as a pathfinder mission to test the system’s technologies. Following the MK1 cargo lander, Blue is awarded a contract by NASA to land cargo and crew on the moon as part of the Artemis program with its MK2 lander. With this in mind, it makes sense that Blue would want to ensure there is enough space to produce its landers right on the Space Coast.
To support all 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 plans to build more buildings over an existing large parking garage to. area on the south side of campus.
A second staircase from New Glenn in the 2CAT building. (Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
During a flyover last month, a New Glenn second stage tank was captured standing vertically in the 2CAT building on Blue’s property. It is believed that here the stages undergo a pressure test before proceeding to the next steps in production. Nearby, what appeared to be a wrapped portion of a New Glenn first stage lay on cradles outside.
BE-4 testing and deliveries
In recent months, local residents in the Huntsville area – where NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center is located – have reported an increase in rocket engine tests from the area. NASA and Blue Origin signed a Commercial Space Launch Act agreement in 2019 under which the company would refurbish the historic test stand 4670 for use with its BE-3U and BE-4 engines. The increase in tests is a good sign not only for New Glenn, which requires seven BE-4s per first stage and two BE-3Us per second stage, but also for ULA’s Vulcan rocket, which has two BE-4 engines used per rocket.
I see a few BE4 engines about to use their booster for USSF106, #VulcanRocket ‘s 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 of two BE-4 engines and a Vulcan first stage, both of which will carry out the rocket’s third mission. Bruno recently noted that the delivery rate of BE-4 engines for Vulcan was two per month and increased to one and a half per week.
New shepherd
Following an onboard anomaly caused by New Shepard’s BE-3 engine nozzle in September 2022 and a successful return to flight with an unmanned mission in December 2023, New Shepard re-entered the air on May 19 with passengers on board. New Shepard to 67 miles and back for a total mission time of just under 10 minutes.
The new Shepard takes off during the NS-25 mission. (Credit: Blue Origin)
While the flight was completed safely, it was observed that only two of the three main parachutes on the capsule had deployed. Although the craft is designed to land safely on just two main parachutes, there is no doubt that Blue will investigate this before the next mission.
(Main image: New Glenn Simulator is deployed to LC-36 for additional ground systems testing. Credit: Blue Origin)