Blue Origin is in full preparation for the first launch of New Glenn
Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos (Amazon), successfully coupled two stages of its New Glenn rocket at Space Launch Center 36 (LC-36) in Cape Canaveral.
This event precedes the planned first rocket launch this year. A photo of the connected stages was published by Blue Origin on their official page in X.
New Glenn's first stage was delivered to the launch site several weeks ago from Blue Origin's warehouse on Florida's Space Coast. The height of the rocket is 98 meters, and its payload capacity will allow it to lift 50 tons (45 metric tons) into low Earth orbit. New Glenn significantly outperforms SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, delivering twice its lift capacity.
A feature of the New Glenn, similar to the Falcon 9, is the use of a reusable first stage. It is powered by seven BE-4 engines developed by Blue Origin. These engines successfully made their debut flight on the Vulcan Centaur rocket developed by United Launch Alliance. This will allow Blue Origin to reduce launch costs and increase competitiveness in the commercial launch market.
New Glenn's first launch will carry NASA's two EscaPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission to explore Mars. This launch is planned to take place in August of this year.
The development of the New Glenn rocket took more than 10 years and although the debut was previously planned for 2020, it was postponed several times. However, Blue Origin intends to send its rocket into space, expanding its competitive capabilities in the international market.