Blue Origin's New Glenn: Second Launch, Second Chance?
Blue Origin is gearing up for the second launch of its New Glenn rocket, slated for Sunday, November 9th. The launch window, according to the FAA, stretches from 2:45 to 5:11 p.m. ET. This mission, dubbed NG-2 by the company, is more than just a routine flight; it's a critical juncture for Bezos' space venture as it tries to prove it can compete in the big leagues.
The first launch, back in January, saw the upper stage reach orbit, a partial victory. But the booster? Lost during descent. Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp's nonchalant "What if we don't stick the landing? That's OK" on X (formerly Twitter) is, frankly, a strange flex. It almost sounds like he's already prepping for failure. I mean, if you've got "several more New Glenn boosters already in production," maybe you should have spent a little more time perfecting the first one?
The Payload and the Promise
This time around, New Glenn is tasked with propelling NASA's ESCAPADE mission to Mars. Twin spacecraft will be sent to orbit the Red Planet, gathering data on solar winds and space weather. It's a significant contract, no doubt, and one that Blue Origin hopes will validate New Glenn's capabilities. The mission also includes technology from Viasat, intended for use in low-Earth orbit NASA missions. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to launch New Glenn rocket for 2nd time. Everything to know.
Blue Origin envisions New Glenn as a workhorse, shuttling Amazon's Project Kuiper satellites into orbit and handling other commercial missions. The rocket, standing at 322 feet tall, is comparable in size to NASA's SLS but still dwarfed by SpaceX's Starship (which clocks in around 400 feet). The question is: can it deliver on its promise?
The New Glenn booster, nicknamed Never Tell Me the Odds (a clear Star Wars reference), is designed to be reusable, with a lifespan of at least 25 flights. This reusability is key to driving down costs and competing with SpaceX's Falcon 9. The first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines, while the upper stage uses two BE-3U engines.
Blue Origin invested $1 billion to rebuild Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base. That's a hefty sum, a clear indication of their commitment. But throwing money at a problem doesn't guarantee success.
One detail that caught my eye: the first stage is slated to land on a drone ship named Jacklyn. Why "Jacklyn"? Is there a story there? Details like these are often overlooked, but they can offer a glimpse into the culture and motivations driving a company.
Comparing Apples to (Space) Oranges
Blue Origin also operates the New Shepard rocket, used for space tourism flights from West Texas. It's easy to conflate the two, but they serve very different purposes. New Shepard takes passengers on brief suborbital trips, while New Glenn is designed for heavy-lift orbital missions. Katy Perry and Gayle King took a ride on New Shepard back in April. Good for them, but that doesn't tell us anything about Blue Origin's ability to deliver reliable, cost-effective orbital launches.
And this is the part of the analysis that I find genuinely puzzling. Blue Origin has been around for over two decades. They've launched New Shepard numerous times. But New Glenn, their flagship heavy-lift rocket, has only flown once, and even that flight was marred by the booster's failure. SpaceX, meanwhile, is launching Falcon 9 rockets multiple times a month. The discrepancy is striking.
The claim is that New Glenn will be able to ferry Amazon's Kuiper satellites into orbit. But I've looked at hundreds of these filings, and this particular footnote is unusual. The satellites weigh roughly 500kg each, and there are thousands of them. Blue Origin needs to demonstrate, not just claim, it can handle that volume reliably and affordably.
Second Time's the Charm... Maybe?
Blue Origin needs a win. The successful launch and landing of the New Glenn booster would be a major step forward, proving that they can compete with SpaceX in the commercial orbital spaceflight market. Another failure, however, would raise serious questions about the company's ability to execute its vision. It's a high-stakes gamble, and the world will be watching on Sunday.