[News Terms] Blue Origin's 'New Glenn', Can It Stop SpaceX's Dominance?

New Glenn is a reusable heavy-lift rocket independently developed by Blue Origin, a private space company founded by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, in 2000. The name New Glenn honors astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth.

The first launch of New Glenn is imminent. It is scheduled to launch on the 10th (local time) from Launch Complex 36 at the U.S. Space Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The expected launch window is from 1:00 AM to 4:45 AM (Korean time 3:00 PM to 6:45 PM). Originally planned for the 8th, the launch was postponed by two days. If weather conditions or other circumstances are unfavorable, another attempt can be made on the 12th.

New Glenn erected on Launch Pad 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA
[Photo by Blue Origin]

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Development of New Glenn began in 2012 and was officially announced in 2016. The first flight was planned for 2020 but was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and engine development setbacks.

Onboard is the 'Blue Ring Pathfinder,' which Blue Origin is developing independently. The Blue Ring Pathfinder is an orbital transfer vehicle designed to transport fuel and cargo from low Earth orbit to lunar orbit. Originally, a NASA probe intended for Mars orbit exploration was to be onboard, but NASA postponed its inclusion due to technical issues such as rocket safety.

In this flight, the payload will not be deployed into orbit. During the six-hour flight, the performance of communication equipment, power systems, and computer systems will be tested to prepare for future operational missions. Blue Origin stated, "Our primary goal is to safely reach orbit," and added, "The first-stage rocket will attempt to land on a marine platform in the Atlantic Ocean." The marine platform is named 'Jacklyn,' after Bezos's mother.

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos
Photo by Akyung DB

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New Glenn boasts superior performance compared to SpaceX's reusable rocket Falcon 9, led by Elon Musk. New Glenn is a two-stage rocket standing 98 meters tall with a diameter of 7 meters, significantly larger than Falcon 9, which is 70 meters tall with a diameter of 5 meters. It can carry 45 tons to low Earth orbit and 13 tons to geostationary orbit, offering excellent payload capacity. Additionally, the first stage, powered by seven BE-4 engines, uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) primarily composed of methane and liquid oxygen as propellants. Unlike kerosene, which is used as fuel in most rockets including Falcon 9, methane does not produce soot. The second stage, powered by two BE-3U engines, uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as propellants.

The first stage is designed to be reusable up to 25 times. Rocket reusability has become an essential requirement for future rocket development in terms of resource conservation and cost reduction. The cost per launch is reported to be similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9, around 60 to 70 million dollars (87 billion to 100 billion Korean won). This positions New Glenn as a strong competitor capable of challenging SpaceX Falcon 9's dominance.

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