Blue Origin to Reuse New Glenn Booster for Moon Mission After Landing
▼ Summary
– The second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is critical for NASA’s Mars science mission to study the planet’s atmospheric evolution.
– A successful launch would advance Blue Origin’s certification process with the Space Force for national security satellite launches.
– Blue Origin must recover the first stage booster on this flight to proceed with its planned robotic Moon lander mission next year.
– The first New Glenn launch reached orbit but failed to land the booster due to engine reignition issues, which engineers have addressed with seven improvements.
– Blue Origin’s leadership is confident in achieving booster recovery on the upcoming launch, which is scheduled for no earlier than November from Cape Canaveral.
The upcoming second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket carries immense significance, not only for a critical NASA Mars science mission but also for the company’s broader ambitions in space exploration and national security contracts. This flight will deploy two NASA-funded satellites designed to investigate the atmospheric changes that transformed Mars from a warm, wet environment into the arid, cold world we observe today. A successful mission would mark a pivotal step toward understanding planetary evolution while simultaneously advancing Blue Origin’s goal of securing certification from the Space Force for launching sensitive national security payloads.
Beyond these immediate objectives, the mission holds the key to Blue Origin’s lunar exploration timeline. To stay on track for its planned robotic Moon lander mission early next year, the company must successfully recover the New Glenn first stage booster. Recovery teams are preparing to position their landing platform in the Atlantic Ocean, mirroring the procedure attempted during the rocket’s inaugural flight this past January. While that first launch successfully achieved orbit, a notable accomplishment for any new rocket, the booster was lost when three of its engines failed to reignite for a controlled landing.
Engineers have since implemented seven specific modifications aimed at correcting the booster recovery issue. These changes focus primarily on what the company describes as propellant management and engine bleed control improvements, addressing the technical challenges encountered during the initial flight. Pat Remias, Blue Origin’s vice president of space systems development, expressed strong confidence in achieving a successful booster landing during the upcoming launch. Speaking at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Remias stated, “We fully intend to recover the New Glenn first stage on this next launch. Fully intend to do it.”
The mission, expected to lift off no earlier than November from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, will carry NASA’s next pair of Mars atmospheric probes. In a nod to both optimism and challenge, Blue Origin, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, has nicknamed the booster for this flight “Never Tell Me The Odds.” While company leadership hasn’t explicitly described the mission as an all-or-nothing gamble, the outcome will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of Bezos’s lunar program. The difference between a smooth booster recovery and another loss at sea will have profound implications for the schedule and viability of future Moon missions.
(Source: Ars Technica)
