New Glenn
New Glenn is a heavy-lift launch vehicle developed by Blue Origin, named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth.[8] New Glenn is a two-stage rocket with a diameter of 7 m (23 ft). Its first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines that are also designed and manufactured by Blue Origin. It is intended to launch from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36 (and eventually Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 9),[9] with the first stage landing on a barge called Landing Platform Vessel 1. The inaugural vehicle was unveiled on the launch pad in February 2024.
Development of the New Glenn rocket started before 2013 and was formally announced in 2016. The first launch is expected to take place no earlier than 6 January 2025, carrying a prototype Blue Ring spacecraft. This launch will also serve as a National Security Space Launch demonstration mission.
Like the New Shepard suborbital launch vehicle used for space tourism activities, the New Glenn's first stage has been designed to be reusable since its inception. In 2021, the company started a program to make the second stage reusable as well, with the project codenamed Project Jarvis. A first test tank for Project Jarvis was created in 2021.
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