Topic summary
New Glenn
New Glenn is a family of two-stagepartially reusable launch vehicles developed and operated by the American company Blue Origin. The rocket has an operational heavy-liftNew Glenn 7×2 configuration and under-development super heavy-liftNew Glenn 9×4 configuration, both using seven-meter (23 ft) diameter stages. With a payload capacity of 45 tons to low Earth orbit, it is the most powerful reusable launch vehicle to reach orbit.
Development of New Glenn began before 2013 and was officially announced in 2016. The rocket is named for NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. The inaugural vehicle was unveiled on the launch pad in February 2024. Its first flight, NG-1, took place on January 16, 2025, from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36. Carrying the Blue Ring Pathfinder, the launch served as the first of several demonstration flights required for certification for the National Security Space Launch program.
As with Blue Origin's suborbital New Shepard rocket, New Glenn's first stage is designed for reuse. It lands at sea on a barge called Landing Platform Vessel 1. The first stage achieved its first successful landing on November 13, 2025, during New Glenn's second flight, NG-2. New Glenn is slated to launch Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander on robotic missions.
The New Glenn 7×2 first stage is powered by seven methaloxBE-4 engines, while the second stage uses two hydroloxBE-3U engines; both engine types are designed and built by Blue Origin. It launches from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36 (LC-36), with future missions planned from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 14 (SLC-14). It is one of three operational US heavy-lift rockets, alongside United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur and SpaceX's Falcon Heavy. A May 2026 explosion of this version during preparation for an Amazon Leo launch heavily damaged LC-36.
New Glenn 9×4 is in development as of 2025. It has nine BE-4 engines on the first stage, four BE-3U engines on the second stage, and a larger payload fairing measuring 8.7 meters (29 ft) in diameter. It will stand nearly as tall as the SpaceX Starship.