New Glenn Ready to Go

December 29, 2024 – With the successful hotfire test of Blue Origin’s New Glenn Rocket, the final major milestone to the company’s first flight of the vehicle is now on the horizon. Although no date has yet been set for launch, NG-1 is set to carry a Blue Ring Pathfinder as its first manifested payload to blast off from Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“This is a monumental milestone and a glimpse of what’s just around the corner for New Glenn’s first launch,” said Jarrett Jones, SVP, New Glenn. “Today’s success proves that our rigorous approach to testing–combined with our incredible tooling and design engineering–is working as intended.”

This test campaign captured a number of firsts for the New Glenn launch system, including the first seven-engine operations, the first integrated GS1-GS2 tanking demonstration, the first LNG/LOX fill for GS1, as well as first chilled helium operations for GS2.

New Glenn stands more than 320 feet (98 meters) high and features a seven-meter payload fairing, enabling twice the volume of standard five-meter class commercial launch systems. Its reusable first stage aims for a minimum of 25 missions and will land on Jacklyn, a sea-based platform located several hundred miles downrange. Reusability is integral to radically reducing cost-per-launch.

The Space Coast is looking hot for the coming year.

Source: Blue Origin