Blue Origin's New Glenn Launch Vehicle Faces Crucial Test Flight In November

Blue Origin's fate hangs precariously in the balance as the company prepares for the crucial November flight of its New Glenn launch vehicle. According to NextBigFuture. com, this upcoming flight will determine whether Blue Origin can achieve its ambitious goal of four flights in 2026 or even eight. The success of this mission hinges on the ability to cleanly fly and land the booster stage, a prerequisite for reusing the booster every six months.

The stakes are high, with any flight problems triggering an FAA investigation that could delay the third launch by three to six months. The New Glenn launch vehicle is a complex machine, powered by seven BE-4 engines in its booster stage, each delivering approximately 550,000 pounds of sea-level thrust. The upper stage is equipped with two BE-3U engines, vacuum-optimized variants of the BE-3, producing 175,000 pounds of vacuum thrust.

A critical aspect of the New Glenn program is the production rate of its engines. Any issues with landing the booster could lead to modifications to the engines, which would slow down the production ramp. Blue Origin is building a fleet of 10+ boosters and matching upper stages to enable rapid reuse iteration. However, delays in certification have historically bottlenecked output.

Blue Origin has a critical next flight in November for New Glenn. It will determine if they have a chance for 4 flights in 2026 or 8.

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