Blue Origin Sets Ambitious Launch Targets for New Glenn

Earlier this week, Blue Origin quietly dropped a job listing that reveals just how aggressively the company plans to scale up production of its New Glenn rocket. The posting, seeking a senior manager for tank fabrication on a project called “Quattro,” lays out production targets that are nothing short of breathtaking for a vehicle that has only flown three times.

The role involves overseeing the fabrication of the propellant tank, which the listing describes as “the most structurally complex and schedule-critical subsystem on the vehicle.” Quattro is the internal code name for a more powerful upper stage that will swap the current two BE-3U engines for four. Blue Origin first disclosed plans for this upgraded New Glenn variant, designated the 9×4 configuration, back in November.

This upgraded rocket is significantly larger than the 7×2 version currently in service. It is considered essential for the company’s lunar ambitions under NASA’s Artemis program, and a debut could come as soon as next year.

The real eye-opener, however, is the production ramp outlined in the posting. The job calls for scaling second stage output from a rate of 12 per year up to 60 per year by the third quarter of 2028. That pace would then accelerate further, reaching a production rate of 100 second stages annually by 2029. A company official confirmed to Ars that these figures are accurate.

For context, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket has launched three times since its maiden flight in January 2025. Moving from a handful of vehicles to a production line capable of churning out a new upper stage every few days represents a massive leap in manufacturing ambition. The company is clearly betting that demand for heavy lift will justify a factory floor running at full tilt.