New Glenn

Blue Origin heavy lift human rated rocket proposed for 2020-22 called New Glenn is now looking like 2023 now NET 2024.

New Glenn test article on pad LC-36 Feb 2024

 New Glenn Rocket graphic - eutelsat (First customer)

This is a massive new rocket system in two main formats 2 stage to orbit and a 3 stage for deep space

Named in honour of John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn is 23 feet in diameter and lifts off with 3.85 million pounds of thrust from seven BE-4 engines (17.1 megaNewtons). Burning liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen, these are the same BE-4 engines that will power United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket.

New Glenn

The 2-stage New Glenn is 270 feet tall, and its second stage is powered by a single vacuum-optimized BE-4 engine. The 3-stage New Glenn is 313 feet tall. A single vacuum-optimized BE-3 engine, burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, powers its third stage. The booster and the second stage are identical in both variants.

 Capable of launching up to 13 metric tons (about 28,000 lbs.) into geostationary transfer orbit and 45 metric tons (about 99,000 lbs.) into low-Earth orbit.

Both version will have a reusable 1st stage vertical-landing booster with 3.85 million pounds thrust

New Glenn is expected to fly for the first time before the end of the decade from historic Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. New Glenn is designed to launch commercial satellites and to fly humans into space.

The 3-stage variant – with its high specific impulse hydrogen upper stage – is capable of flying demanding beyond-LEO missions.

Blue Origin's vision is millions of people living and working in space, and New Glenn is a very important step. It won’t be the last of course. Up next on our drawing board: New Armstrong. But that’s a story for the future.

Gradatim Ferociter!

 New Glenn is now planed to have a 7-meter payload fairing.

Reusability

The 1st stage of the New Glen rocket is designed to be reusable landing back on a ship', The original idea of landing on a ship appears to have be scraped as of 2023. Yet BO still aim to land back at sea but no timeline has so far been mentioned for such an attempt.

 New Glenn Ship Landing graphic

The plan was for testing sometime between 2020 and 2022, although as of Oct 2020 it may be 2023 due to ongoing BE4 development. BO still said they aim to land on a sea-based platform located roughly 620 miles (1,000 km) downrange.