New Glenn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Blue Origin New Glenn

The inaugural launch of New Glenn, on 16 January 2025
Function	Heavy-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Blue Origin
Country of origin	United States
Project cost	At least US$2.5 billion
Cost per launch	US$68–110 million
Size
Height	98 m (322 ft)
Diameter	7 m (23 ft)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	45,000 kg (99,000 lb)
Payload to GTO	13,600 kg (30,000 lb)
Payload to TLI	7,000 kg (15,000 lb)
Associated rockets
Comparable	Angara A5 Ariane 6 Falcon Heavy Long March 5 Vulcan Centaur
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Cape Canaveral, LC‑36 Vandenberg, SLC‑9 (future)
Total launches	1
Successes	1
Landings	0 / 1 attempt
First flight	16 January 2025
Notable payloads	Blue Moon NSSL
First stage – GS1
Length	57.5 m (189 ft)
Diameter	7 m (23 ft)
Empty mass	20,000 kg (44,000 lb)
Gross mass	950,000 kg (2,090,000 lb)
Engines	7 × BE-4
Thrust	3,850,000 lbf (17,100 kN)
Specific impulse	340 s (3.3 km/s) (vac.)
Burn time	190 seconds
Fuel	LOX / CH 4
Second stage – GS2
Length	23.4 m (77 ft)
Diameter	7 m (23 ft)
Empty mass	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)
Gross mass	50,000 kg (110,000 lb)
Engines	2 × BE-3U
Thrust	350,000 lbf (1,600 kN)
Specific impulse	445 s (4.36 km/s)
Burn time	644 seconds
Fuel	LOX / LH 2

The New Glenn is a giant rocket built by an American company called Blue Origin. It's designed to be partly reusable, meaning some parts can be used again. It has two main sections, or 'stages', and is about 7 meters (23 feet) wide.

The first stage uses seven powerful BE-4 engines, and the second stage uses two BE-3U engines. Blue Origin made all these engines themselves. It launches from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Future missions are also planned from Vandenberg in California.

Blue Origin started developing New Glenn before 2013 and officially announced it in 2016. The rocket is named after John Glenn, who was the first American astronaut to orbit Earth. The first New Glenn rocket was shown on its launch pad in February 2024. Its first flight happened on January 16, 2025. It carried a test spacecraft called Blue Ring. This launch was the first from Launch Complex 36 since 2005. This mission was one of several test launches needed for the rocket to be approved for the National Security Space Launch program.

Just like Blue Origin's smaller New Shepard rocket, which takes people on short trips to space, New Glenn's first stage is designed to be reusable. It is supposed to land back on a special ship called Landing Platform Vessel 1. So far, New Glenn has not successfully landed its booster. In 2021, Blue Origin started "Project Jarvis" to try and make the second stage reusable too.

How New Glenn Was Developed

Blue Origin started working on an orbital rocket system before 2012. In 2013, they shared that the first stage would land vertically and be reusable. Blue Origin officially announced their plans for an orbital rocket in September 2015. In January 2016, they said the new rocket would be much bigger than New Shepard.

In September 2016, Blue Origin showed the main design of the rocket and named it New Glenn. They planned for it to have two or three stages.

Early Ideas for Spacecraft Parts

Before 2012, Blue Origin began creating parts for human spacecraft that would go into orbit. They imagined a reusable first-stage booster that would fly into space and then land back vertically. After the first stage separated, the upper stage would continue to push astronauts into orbit. The first stage would then land like their New Shepard rocket. The idea was to refuel and reuse the booster to make space travel cheaper.

The booster was meant to carry Blue Origin's "Space Vehicle" capsule with astronauts and supplies into orbit. This capsule was also designed to return to Earth and land with parachutes, ready to be used again.

Testing for the rocket's engines began in 2012. In October 2012, they tested the BE-3 engine's thrust chamber at a NASA facility. This engine uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. By early 2018, it was decided that the BE-3U engine would power New Glenn's second stage.

Building the Rocket

Design work for New Glenn started in 2012 with the development of the BE-4 engine. More plans for an orbital rocket were shared in 2015. In 2016, the rocket was briefly called "Very Big Brother." It was planned to be a two-stage rocket with reusable parts.

In early 2016, Blue Origin expected the first orbital launch by 2020 from Florida. They continued to aim for a 2020 debut in September 2017.

The rocket's design was first shown in September 2016. New Glenn was described as a 7-meter (23-foot) wide rocket with two or three stages. The first and second stages would use liquid methane and liquid oxygen (methalox) and Blue Origin's own engines. The first stage was planned to be reusable and land vertically, like the New Shepard rocket.

The 2016 plans said the first stage would use seven BE-4 engines. The second stage would use a special BE-4 engine for space, and a third stage would use a BE-3 engine. At that time, the first stage was planned to be reused up to 100 times. Blue Origin announced they would launch from Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) and build the rockets at a new factory nearby.

In March 2017, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, showed pictures of New Glenn with two large fins at the bottom of the booster. In September 2017, Blue Origin announced a much larger nose cone for New Glenn, which was 7 meters (23 feet) wide.

New Glenn design as of October 2018

By March 2018, the rocket's design had changed. The New Glenn second stage would now use two BE-3U engines. The idea for a three-stage rocket was completely canceled in January 2019. By mid-2018, the detailed design was still not finished.

In October 2018, the Air Force gave Blue Origin US$500 million to help develop New Glenn. This was to make it a possible choice for future government contracts. This funding ended in December 2020, after Blue Origin received US$255.5 million.

By February 2019, New Glenn had contracts for several launches. These included five for OneWeb, some for Telesat, and one each for Eutelsat, mu Space Corp, and SKY Perfect JSAT. In February 2019, Blue Origin said they had no plans for a reusable second stage. However, by July 2021, Blue Origin was again looking into making the second stage reusable with "Project Jarvis."

In August 2020, the Air Force did not choose New Glenn for a major launch program. Because of this, Blue Origin announced in February 2021 that the first flight would be delayed until late 2022 at the earliest. Further delays were announced in March 2021 and March 2022.

By 2021, Blue Origin changed the planned reuse for New Glenn to a minimum of 25 flights. This was less than the original goal of 100 flights from 2016.

In January 2024, the first stage of New Glenn was moved at Kennedy Space Center to prepare for a launch. In February 2024, a test version of both stages of New Glenn was put on launch pad LC-36. This was for testing, and it did not have working engines. In May 2024, New Glenn was rolled out again for more tests before a planned launch.

"Jarvis" Reusable Upper Stage

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth and the namesake of the New Glenn spacecraft, piloting the Friendship 7 space capsule during his flight on 20 February 1962

In July 2021, it became known that Blue Origin had started "Project Jarvis." This project aims to create a fully reusable upper stage for New Glenn. If successful, New Glenn would become a fully-reusable rocket, which would greatly lower the cost of each launch.

Blue Origin created a new team for this project. This team was given freedom to innovate without strict rules. Part of the effort focuses on building a stainless steel fuel tank and main structure for the second stage. In August 2021, Blue Origin brought a stainless steel test tank to their Launch Complex 36 facility for testing with super-cold fuels.

Another team was set up in 2021 to explore ways to make the New Glenn second stage reusable. This was not a goal for the original second stage design. As of August 2021, three ideas were being explored:

• Adding wings to let the stage glide back like a spaceplane.
• Using an aerospike engine that could also act as a heat shield during reentry.
• An approach similar to SpaceX's Starship, using large drag flaps and rockets to slow down.

A decision on which approach to use was expected in late 2021.

First Launch of New Glenn

New Glenn launches from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, January 16, 2025.

On June 12, 2024, Blue Origin received the necessary license for New Glenn's first flight. The rocket was chosen for the U.S. NSSL program. The first launch was expected by December 2024.

Preparations for the first launch began in late August 2024. It was supposed to carry the ESCAPADE mission, which included two satellites going to Mars for NASA. However, after talking with NASA, it was decided to skip the October launch window. This was to avoid big costs and risks if there were delays.

As of September 2024, the first launch was planned as a test for the United States Space Force's National Security Space Launch program. It carried a test version of the Blue Ring spacecraft. The booster for this flight was named So You're Telling Me There's a Chance. This name hinted at how difficult it is to land a reusable booster on its very first try.

Testing continued in October 2024 with successful engine tests of the second stage. The completed first stage moved to the launchpad on October 30, 2024, before the first flight.

The rocket for Flight 1 was moved to the launchpad on November 20, 2024, for static fire testing. A full practice run with fuel happened on December 19, 2024. A 24-second engine test was done on December 27.

On January 13, 2025, Blue Origin tried its first launch. After several delays, the launch was stopped.

On January 16, 2025, at 2:03 AM EST, New Glenn launched for the first time. Blue Origin successfully reached orbit on its first attempt. The GS-2 upper stage and the Blue Ring test payload were put into medium Earth orbit. Blue Origin stated that GS-1, the first stage, was lost during its return. Data showed the booster was traveling very fast at a high altitude before it was lost.

After the landing failed, Blue Origin led an investigation into the booster's return, with the FAA also involved. This investigation was completed by March 31, 2025.

Rocket Design and Features

The first BE-4 rocket engine tested with fire, serial number 103, in April 2018. This side shows where the liquid methane enters.

New Glenn is a 7-meter (23-foot) wide, two-stage rocket that goes into orbit. Its first stage can be reused, but the second stage is used only once. An optional third stage was considered, but this idea was later dropped.

The first stage (GS1) is designed to be reused for at least 25 flights. It will land vertically, a technology Blue Origin developed and tested with its New Shepard rocket. The second stage (GS2) is the same width and is about 26.8 meters (88 feet) tall. Both stages use strong aluminum tanks. They also use a special system to push fuel.

The first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines, which use methane and oxygen. These engines are made by Blue Origin and produce a lot of power when taking off. The second stage uses two BE-3U engines, also made by Blue Origin. These engines use hydrogen and oxygen and are designed for use in space.

In 2019, the company said the two-stage New Glenn could carry 13,000 kg (28,660 lbs) to GTO and 45,000 kg (99,200 lbs) to a specific LEO.

New Glenn launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36). Blue Origin leased this site in 2015. Blue Origin and the U.S. Space Force also plan to build a launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This site, called Space Launch Complex 9 (SLC-9), will allow New Glenn to launch satellites into polar orbit.

New Glenn will also be available for space tourism flights. People who have flown on New Shepard will get priority. The first stage boosters are meant to be reusable. They were originally planned to land on a special ship called Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean. This ship was designed to be stable in rough seas. That ship was later scrapped, and a new landing barge, also nicknamed Jacklyn, became ready in 2024.

Where New Glenn Is Built

The main assembly of the New Glenn rocket happens at the Blue Origin rocket factory in Florida. This factory is close to Launch Complex 36 (LC-36). LC-36 has been used for over 100 launches in the past.

Blue Origin started ordering tools and equipment for the factory in 2015. In July 2018, the largest machine, called "Mongoose," was finished. It is 16 meters (52 feet) tall and 41 meters (135 feet) long. This machine helps build the rocket's fuel tanks and nose cones. It was installed in the Florida factory later in 2018. As of September 2018, Blue Origin had invested over US$1 billion in its Florida factory and launch site.

Launch Services

As of 2018, Blue Origin planned to offer both dedicated flights for single payloads and, after the fifth launch, flights for two large communications satellites at once. These satellites would be sent to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). All contracted launches will use a reusable first stage. This means that landing conditions can affect when a launch happens. After New Glenn's first launch in January 2025, which put its payload into orbit but failed to land the booster, future launches are on hold. Blue Origin and the FAA are investigating the booster's return.

Customers for Launches

By 2018, Blue Origin had contracts with four customers for New Glenn flights. Eutelsat, Thailand startup mu Space Corp, and SKY Perfect JSAT planned to launch their communications satellites after 2020. OneWeb, which operates a fleet of internet satellites, had an agreement for five launches by 2018.

In January 2019, Telesat signed a contract for multiple launches. They plan to use New Glenn to launch satellites for their future internet network. This made Telesat Blue Origin's fifth customer.

In 2022, Amazon announced it had signed up for 12 New Glenn flights. They also had an option for 15 more. These flights are for launching the Kuiper satellite constellation.

In February 2023, NASA chose Blue Origin to launch the ESCAPADE spacecraft to Mars. In May 2024, it was announced that the spacecraft was almost ready for launch. However, NASA later moved the ESCAPADE payload from New Glenn's first flight to a later one.

In November 2024, AST SpaceMobile chose Blue Origin to launch some of its Block 2 satellites.

Regular Launch Schedule

Blue Origin plans to offer its launch services in a new way. They aim to have a regular launch schedule, with up to eight launches a year. If one customer's payload for a multi-payload launch is not ready on time, Blue Origin will still launch the other payloads on schedule. They will do this without increasing the price. This is different from how other companies have handled dual-launch contracts.

Funding for New Glenn

The development and building of New Glenn are funded by Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon.com, and the Department of the Air Force. Initially, Bezos funded everything. After 2019, New Glenn also received US$500 million from the United States Space Force National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. By September 2017, Bezos had invested US$2.5 billion into New Glenn.

Launch History

Statistics

List of Launches