David Bridges
In a thrilling chapter of the ongoing battle among billionaires aiming for the stars, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveils his groundbreaking space vehicle, New Glenn. This ambitious rocket stands impressively taller than the Statue of Liberty, marking a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight.
New Glenn, named in honor of NASA astronaut John Glenn, who famously became the first human to orbit Earth in 1962, boasts a stature comparable to NASA’s colossal Space Launch System despite being shorter than SpaceX‘s remarkable Starship. This state-of-the-art rocket represents a leap forward in technology, designed to carry out various missions beyond Earth, including potential lunar exploration.
After years of meticulous development, the commercial rocket is now on the brink of its highly anticipated maiden flight, signaling a new era for Blue Origin and the commercial space sector.
Recently, during a crucial final dress rehearsal at Cape Canaveral, Florida, New Glenn demonstrated its capabilities by firing all seven of its engines for an impressive 24 seconds. This marked the first occasion where Bezos’ company operated the fully assembled rocket as an integrated system. The dramatic flashes from the engines illuminated the steam-filled atmosphere, resembling lightning amidst dark storm clouds, showcasing the rocket’s immense power.
“Next stop launch,” Bezos declared in a post on X, the platform owned by his competitor, Elon Musk. In an unexpected gesture of camaraderie, Musk responded with a wish for godspeed, highlighting the competitive yet respectful nature of their relationship.
Bezos can finally make NASA a moon lander. It’s called Blue Moon.
A video showcasing this critical test, known as a hot fire, can be viewed in the above post. This demonstration involved a complete fueling process and a practice countdown. New Glenn’s booster is powered by a combination of methane and liquid oxygen, while its second stage, designed to propel spacecraft into deeper space, utilizes liquid hydrogen alongside liquid oxygen for optimal performance.
When all seven booster engines ignite simultaneously, they generate enough thrust to equal the power of two Nimitz-class aircraft carriers operating at full capacity. According to David Limp, Blue Origin‘s CEO, for 13 seconds during the hot fire test, New Glenn functioned at a staggering 100 percent of its thrust capability, underscoring its potential for future missions.
Mashable Light Speed
Founded in 2000, Bezos established Blue Origin with a vision extending beyond mere space tourism. The company’s initial rocket, New Shepard, primarily focused on offering short, exhilarating flights for wealthy passengers to experience the edge of space and return safely.
Star Trek actor William Shatner, widely recognized as a pop culture icon associated with space exploration, achieved his own milestone as a real space traveler in October 2021.
Credit: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP via Getty Images
However, Blue Origin is setting its sights on much grander ambitions. The company is developing a lunar lander for NASA, aptly named Blue Moon, which is intended to conduct several uncrewed test flights in conjunction with the New Glenn rocket before carrying astronauts from the Artemis V mission from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon.
Moreover, the company is in the process of constructing a commercial space station, referred to as Orbital Reef. NASA has awarded Blue Origin a substantial $130 million contract to develop this innovative facility as the agency transitions to a new paradigm of space exploration, where private enterprises own and manage space laboratories in low-Earth orbit, while NASA operates as one of several customers.
Prior to the recent test, the Federal Aviation Administration granted Blue Origin a launch license for New Glenn, completing the final administrative hurdle. Although the company has yet to announce a specific launch date, an FAA operational advisory hints at a potential launch window opening at 11:30 p.m. ET on December 31, with a backup opportunity on New Year’s Day.
“All that remains is to mate our encapsulated payload…and then LAUNCH!” Limp stated on X. “Congratulations to the dedicated team at Blue Origin for today’s successful test.”
Blue Origin intends to utilize a sea-based landing platform, known as Jacklyn, to recover New Glenn boosters after launch.
Credit: Blue Origin
The recently issued license permits Blue Origin to launch New Glenn from the Space Force station located at Cape Canaveral, as well as to land its reusable booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. This sea-based landing platform, named Jacklyn, stands as one of the largest remotely operated vessels globally. The goal is to achieve a minimum of 25 reuses for each booster, a critical factor for enhancing sustainability in the rapidly evolving commercial space sector by significantly decreasing the cost per launch.
Blue Origin’s timeline has faced delays, as the inaugural flight was originally planned for October. This maiden launch was meant to include two Mars orbiters developed by Rocket Lab for NASA. If New Glenn had taken flight as scheduled, these twin spacecraft could have benefited from a favorable planetary alignment that optimizes the journey to Mars, approximately 140 million miles away from Earth.
Currently, NASA and Blue Origin are engaged in discussions regarding a potential launch for the Escapade mission, with the earliest possible launch date set for spring 2025.
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Daniel Mercer
Ethan Carter
