Blue Origin Shares Update on New Glenn Rocket and Next Possible Launch Date

Blue Origin has now shared the latest developments regarding its New Glenn, providing an update on the latest status of the rocket while also talking about the next possible launch date for its reusable rocket.

The recent third launch of the New Glenn rocket under the NG-3 mission saw mixed success as it was able to return both the first and second stages but was unable to properly reach the desired point in its orbit for its payload.

Blue Origin Updates on New Glenn's Status

Blue Origin CEO David Limp has shared a recent update on the company's New Glenn program via his personal account on X. Here, he said that there is good news for the rocket.

First, various infrastructures survived the recent mishap over at their Florida launch facility, with the likes of the propellant farm, oxygen, liquid hydrogen, and LNG tanks all in good shape.

According to the CEO, the water tower in the launch facility is all good, but he also said that its big support tower sustained damage due to the mishap. Limp has assured the public that it can be repaired.

The executive said that there is no need to tear down the damaged water tower and have it replaced.

Limp also added that the booster, "Never Tell Me The Odds," which was reused in their previous mission, and the three GS-2 engines that are intended for its second stage rocket "also look good."

Next Target Launch, Mission for New Glenn

According to Limp, the company is targeting a return to its test launch of the New Glenn rocket before the end of the year, but he did not provide an exact timeline as to when to expect the mission.

There are also several replies from users on X, asking the CEO about doing an investigation into the mishap and determining what caused it so as to avoid it in the future, which is standard among private space companies.

It can be recalled that SpaceX's Starship was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after a recent mishap during its mission in order to determine what went wrong and ensure that it never happens again.

According to ArsTechnica, Blue Origin's New Glenn exploded only last week over its launch facility in Florida. It took place shortly after conducting a static fire test for the first-stage rocket, which used seven BE-4 Engines.

While Limp did not address any of this information in his post, he did say that the company will stay with its rate manufacturing of 7x2 instead of moving to the speculated 9x4 configuration.