Blue Origin unveils more thrust, less haste as New Glenn slips to 2027

Blue Origin has pushed New Glenn’s return to flight back to January 2027, according to a leaked memo from chief executive Dave Limp. The delay follows a May ground-test explosion that destroyed the rocket and badly damaged its launchpad, and leaves less time before NASA’s planned Artemis III demonstration mission next year.

The company announced GS3, a new third stage intended for missions including geostationary orbit and journeys beyond Earth; it is already contracted for a government cislunar mission in 2028. Blue Origin also unveiled Northstar, a booster engine it says has half as many parts and 30 per cent less mass than its BE-4, while raising thrust from 640,000 to 715,000 pounds-force. Limp said the cause of the anomaly had been found and fixed, but gave no further details; he had earlier linked it to a main oxygen valve on a BE-4 engine.