Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' answer to Elon Musk's SpaceX, is gearing up for a debut launch of New Glenn, a heavy-lift rocket that has already secured high-profile contracts, including for US national security missions.
It is scheduled to carry Nasa’s Escapade (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission into space on October 13 from a Florida spaceport.
The rocket is entering a competitive field, dominated by only six spacecrafts across the US, China, Europe and Russia.
But it is expected to be a strong contender in the industry, with partial reusability like SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and a capacity to carry heavy payloads into various orbits.
Lin Kayser, co-founder of LEAP 71 – a Dubai-based company that develops artificial intelligence models to generate rocket engines – said it was a “significant development” for New Glenn to begin operations.
She said there were only a few options available for heavy-lift rockets – vehicles that are powerful enough to carry large satellites and space station modules into a variety of orbits.
“I think the most significant aspect about New Glenn now finally being close to ready is that both Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have very ambitious visions for space exploration,” he told The National.
“Bezos’s dreams of a civilisation of trillions of humans living throughout the solar system seemed very disconnected from Blue Origin’s reality, despite significant funding. Now that working spacecraft are within reach, maybe we will see his company accelerate towards that vision.”
Rockets with a difference
"Heavy lifters" stand out from other rockets due to their ability to carry enormous payloads, including large satellites, space station components and can be used for interplanetary missions. These rockets are typically more powerful, with larger engines and greater thrust, allowing them to carry heavier loads into space.
SpaceX has been operating its Falcon Heavy rockets since 2018, carrying large payloads into space, including US national security missions, into a variety of orbits.
The Space Launch System, developed by Boeing, Northrop Grumman and the United Launch Alliance for Nasa for flights to the Moon, is also operational. It completed one flight in 2022 and is scheduled to carry astronauts heading to the Moon’s orbit on its next flight.
The United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, is developing the Vulcan Centaur rocket. It completed its maiden flight in January but needs to carry out a second to be certified by the US Space Force.
SpaceX leads race
“To be brutally clear, SpaceX, who routinely reuse boosters, and have much more advanced engine designs, and who are close to successfully qualifying Starship, are still a decade ahead of everyone else,” said Mr Kayser.
“The New Glenn’s capabilities compare favourably with Falcon Heavy, even though its engine design is still playing catch-up with SpaceX. The Vulcan, not being reusable, and who relies on the BE-4 engines that Blue Origin developed for New Glenn, is likely not going to hold up to the competition.”
Even though New Glenn is now ready for launch, it has faced several delays since development was first announced in 2016. Challenges have included engine development issues and the complexity of its reusable first stage, but leadership changes and progress in testing helped accelerate its path to a launch.
Laura Forczyk, founder of US-based space consulting firm Astralytical, said New Glenn had already secured several launch contracts, including 12 for Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite constellation.
“Blue Origin recently won the right to bid on $5.6 billion worth of US Space Force national security missions, with New Glenn along with SpaceX and United Launch Alliance,” she told The National. “It's expected that Blue Origin will launch its Blue Moon human landing system on a New Glenn for Nasa's Artemis 5 and 6.
“There is a significant launch shortage with high customer demand. Customers are not waiting to see New Glenn prove itself before booking flights on the new rocket.”
The company already has its suborbital rocket New Shepard that it uses for space tourism flights. It has flown 38 passengers to the edge of space since 2021.
It was also developing the Orbital Reef, a commercial space station in low-Earth orbit, with aerospace company Sierra Space, but the latest reports suggest that partnership could be in limbo.