9 years in the past, Blue Origin revealed the plans for his or her New Glenn rocket, a heavy-lift automobile with a reusable first stage that will compete with SpaceX for orbital flights. Since that point, SpaceX has launched a whole lot of rockets, whereas Blue Origin has been working largely in secret on New Glenn. Final week, the corporate rolled out the primary prototype of the first-stage booster to the launch advanced at Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station. If all goes properly, we may see a late November take a look at on the launch pad.
The take a look at will probably be an built-in launch automobile hot-fire which can embody the second stage and a stacked payload.
Photographs posted on social media by Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp confirmed the 57-meter (188-foot)-long first stage with its seven BE-4 engines because it was transported from the manufacturing facility in Merritt Island, Florida — subsequent to the Kennedy Area Middle — to Launch Advanced 36 at Cape Canaveral. Limp mentioned that it was a 23-mile, multiple-hour journey “as a result of we now have to take the good distance round.” The booster was carried by Blue Origin’s trailers referred to as GERT (Large Monumental Rocket Truck).
“Our transporter includes two trailers linked by cradles and a strongback meeting designed in-house,” mentioned Limp on X. “There are 22 axles and 176 tires on this transport automobile…The space between GERT’s entrance bumper and the trailer’s rear is 310’, concerning the size of a soccer discipline.”
Limp mentioned the subsequent step is to place the primary and second phases collectively on the launch pad for the absolutely built-in sizzling fireplace costume rehearsal. The second stage lately accomplished its personal sizzling fireplace on the launch web site.
Hopefully the take a look at will result in Blue Origin’s first ever launch to orbit. Whereas the New Glenn rocket has had its share of delays, it appears Blue Origin has additionally taken a gradual, measured method to arrange for its first launch. In February of this yr, a boilerplate of the rocket was lastly rolled onto the launch pad at Cape Canaveral for testing. Then in Could 2024, New Glenn was rolled out once more for added testing. Now, the absolutely built-in take a look at within the subsequent few weeks will maybe result in a launch by the tip of the yr.
New Glenn’s seven engines will give it greater than 3.8 million kilos of thrust on liftoff. The objective is for New Glenn to reuse its first-stage booster and the seven engines powering it, with restoration on a barge situated downrange off the coast of Florida within the Atlantic Ocean.
New Glenn boosters are designed for 25 flights.
Blue Origin says New Glenn will launch payloads into high-energy orbits. It could actually carry greater than 13 metric tons to geostationary switch orbit (GTO) and 45 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO).
For the primary flight, Blue Origin will probably be flying its personal {hardware} as a payload, a satellite tv for pc deployment expertise referred to as Blue Ring. Although it doesn’t have a paying buyer for the upcoming launch, it will be — if profitable — the primary of two required certification flights wanted by the rocket by the U.S. Area Drive so it may doubtlessly be awarded future nationwide safety missions together with aspect SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA.)
Extra particulars may be discovered at PhysOrg and NASASpaceflight.com.
