Context:
Blue Origin launched its New Glenn rocket on its first test flight, successfully sending a prototype satellite into orbit. The New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida after years of development funded by Jeff Bezos, soaring from the same pad used to launch NASA’s Mariner and Pioneer spacecraft.
New Glenn Rocket
New Glenn is a heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by Blue Origin, having a partially reusable, two-stage design with a 7-meter diameter. It has seven BE-4 engines and two BE-3U engines, all in-house. Launched from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36, it was officially announced in 2016. It is named after NASA astronaut John Glenn and was launched on its maiden flight on 16 January 2025, carrying a prototype Blue Ring spacecraft.
Blue Origin
Blue Origin Enterprises, L.P. is a Washington-based American space technology company that develops the New Shepard and New Glenn rockets, launched September 8, 2000. While also providing rocket engines for the Vulcan Centaur, the lunar lander it is developing with NASA’s support for the Artemis program called Blue Moon, the Blue Ring spacecraft platform, and the Orbital Reef space station. It was founded by Jeff Bezos.
