# Blue Origin plans stronger New Glenn engine and new lunar stage

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/blue-origin-says-it-is-building-a-higher-performing-rocket-engine-at-1-4-the-cost/
- Published: 2026-11-06T00:17:06+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T01:32:47+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/11/blue-origin-announces-rocket-upgrades-aimed-at-lower-costs-more-performance/
- Topics: Space, Technology

## Key points

- Blue Origin is testing a more powerful New Glenn engine.
- It says Northstar could cost a quarter as much as BE-4.
- A new third stage could debut for a government customer in 2028.

## Summary

Blue Origin has announced two New Glenn upgrades intended to lower launch costs and carry more payload to geostationary orbit and the Moon. The plans pair a more powerful first-stage engine with a new third stage, as the company seeks to expand the rocket’s capabilities and launch capacity.

The Northstar engine is already being test-fired and is designed to have 715,000 pounds of thrust, compared with 640,000 for the BE-4. Blue Origin says it has half as many parts, is 30 per cent lighter, and could cost a quarter as much to manufacture; the company will still make BE-4 engines for United Launch Alliance. The hydrogen-fuelled GS3 third stage is intended for a 2028 debut: Blue Origin says it could carry 8 or 14 tonnes to geostationary orbit, and 10 or 20 tonnes to translunar injection, depending on New Glenn’s configuration. The company says a composite hydrogen tank passed pressure tests, including one at 150 per cent of expected operating pressure.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.