Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Fires Up Seven Engines, Clearing Path for Launch. A successful test-firing of the rocket's main engines at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida has given the New Glenn rocket a clear path to launch, with officials hinting that it could be ready as early as November 9.
The hold-down firing of the first stage engines was the final major test of the New Glenn rocket before launch day. The company had previously tested the second-stage engines. According to Blue Origin's CEO, Dave Limp, the seven BE-4 main engines operated at full power for 38 seconds, generating nearly 3.9 million pounds of thrust.
The test-firing was part of a series of tests designed to simulate the booster's landing burn sequence. Blue Origin hopes that this will culminate in a successful touchdown on a barge floating downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. Engineers extended the test-firing and shut down some of the BE-4 engines to study fluid interactions between active and inactive engine feedlines during landing.
The New Glenn rocket is counting on recovering the first stage on its next flight, after missing the landing on its inaugural mission in January. If Blue Origin fails to land this rocket, it's unlikely a new first stage booster will be ready to launch until sometime later in 2026.
For its part, NASA is getting a good deal from Blue Origin for the launch of its twin spacecraft, ESCAPADE, which are part of a relatively low-cost Solar System mission. The agency is paying Bezos' company $20 million for the launch, millions less than a dedicated launch on another rocket. However, officials are fine with accepting more risk on this mission because it's just the second flight of the New Glenn rocket.
The twin probes will loiter relatively close to Earth until next November, when they will fire their engines to set off for Mars. The spacecraft, built by Rocket Lab, combine to weigh a little more than a ton, about 15 percent of the total payload the rocket could deploy on its initial departure trajectory. They are expected to arrive at Mars in September 2027 and begin their science observations a few months later.
The hold-down firing of the first stage engines was the final major test of the New Glenn rocket before launch day. The company had previously tested the second-stage engines. According to Blue Origin's CEO, Dave Limp, the seven BE-4 main engines operated at full power for 38 seconds, generating nearly 3.9 million pounds of thrust.
The test-firing was part of a series of tests designed to simulate the booster's landing burn sequence. Blue Origin hopes that this will culminate in a successful touchdown on a barge floating downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. Engineers extended the test-firing and shut down some of the BE-4 engines to study fluid interactions between active and inactive engine feedlines during landing.
The New Glenn rocket is counting on recovering the first stage on its next flight, after missing the landing on its inaugural mission in January. If Blue Origin fails to land this rocket, it's unlikely a new first stage booster will be ready to launch until sometime later in 2026.
For its part, NASA is getting a good deal from Blue Origin for the launch of its twin spacecraft, ESCAPADE, which are part of a relatively low-cost Solar System mission. The agency is paying Bezos' company $20 million for the launch, millions less than a dedicated launch on another rocket. However, officials are fine with accepting more risk on this mission because it's just the second flight of the New Glenn rocket.
The twin probes will loiter relatively close to Earth until next November, when they will fire their engines to set off for Mars. The spacecraft, built by Rocket Lab, combine to weigh a little more than a ton, about 15 percent of the total payload the rocket could deploy on its initial departure trajectory. They are expected to arrive at Mars in September 2027 and begin their science observations a few months later.
So, I think this is super cool! Blue Origin is making progress with their New Glenn rocket, and it's exciting to see them getting closer to launching it. The fact that they were able to test-fire the main engines for 38 seconds and generate over 3.9 million pounds of thrust is a big deal! 
It shows that they're serious about recovering the first stage on its next flight, which would be a major achievement. I'm also glad to hear that NASA is getting a good deal from them for launching their twin spacecraft, ESCAPADE. The fact that it's a relatively low-cost mission makes me think that Blue Origin is willing to take some risks and push the boundaries of what's possible with space travel. 
! that's gotta be super reassuring for the team and investors alike 
. and now they're talking november launch date, which is crazy considering how much work still needs to go into getting this thing right 
. but hey, when it happens, we'll be rooting for them all the way 