Blue Origin, the spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, is significantly upgrading its New Glenn rocket with plans for a “super-heavy” version dubbed New Glenn 9×4. This development comes shortly after the successful second mission of the existing New Glenn, which recently deployed NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars probes. 🚀
Enhanced Performance for Existing New Glenn
The current New Glenn rocket is undergoing phased upgrades starting with the NG-3 mission, expected to launch next year. These improvements target key areas, including propulsion, structural integrity, avionics, and reusability. Notably, the first stage will see an increase in thrust from 3.9 million to 4.5 million pounds per foot (17,219 to 19,928 kilonewtons), while the upper stage will jump from 320,000 to 400,000 pounds per foot (1,423 to 1,779 kN).
Additional upgrades include a reusable fairing for faster flight rates, a lower-cost tank design, and improved thermal protection for quicker turnaround times. These modifications aim to make New Glenn a more efficient and reliable launch vehicle.
Introducing New Glenn 9×4: A Super-Heavy Lifter
The most significant announcement is the development of New Glenn 9×4. This new variant will boast nine BE-4 engines on its first stage and four BE-3U engines on the second stage, hence the name. The increased engine count translates to a substantial payload capacity boost: 77 tons (70 metric tons) to low Earth orbit, compared to the original New Glenn’s 50 tons (45 mt).
The payload fairing will also be expanded to 28.5 feet (8.7 meters) wide, significantly exceeding the industry standard. For comparison, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy has a payload fairing width of only 17 feet (5.2 m). This larger fairing allows for deployment of bigger and more complex payloads.
Why This Matters
Blue Origin’s pursuit of a super-heavy launch vehicle places it in direct competition with SpaceX’s Starship and other heavy lifters in the market. The increased payload capacity of New Glenn 9×4 will enable Blue Origin to compete for larger government and commercial contracts, including deploying massive satellites, lunar landers, and potentially even crewed missions to deep space. 🛰️
While a timeline for New Glenn 9×4’s development remains undisclosed, Blue Origin has assured that it will complement the existing New Glenn, not replace it. This suggests a strategy to cater to a broader range of mission requirements with two distinct heavy-lift options.
Blue Origin’s ongoing investment in New Glenn demonstrates its long-term commitment to space transportation, positioning the company as a key player in the evolving commercial space industry. 🚀 This expansion in capabilities will undoubtedly reshape launch options for both government and private sector customers.
