Blue Origin has unveiled two major upgrades for its New Glenn rocket, aimed at reducing production costs and expanding payload delivery capabilities to geostationary orbit and the Moon. Speaking at the UP.Summit conference at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida, Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp highlighted growing industry demand and stated that the enhancements are designed to eventually allow New Glenn to launch more than 1,000 times per year.
Developing the Northstar Engine
As part of the upgrades, the company has begun test firing a new engine called Northstar, which is set to eventually replace the BE-4 engine on New Glenn’s first stage. The simplified design features half the components, 30 percent less mass, and relies on 3D printing for approximately 65 percent of its construction. Blue Origin anticipates producing the engine at 25 percent of the cost of the BE-4, with a long-term goal of completing assembly in less than a day.
“To get access to space at a lower cost, we have to look at every part of the vehicle,” Limp said. “This is going to be a game-changer.”
The Northstar engine offers a starting thrust of 715,000 pounds, compared to the 640,000 pounds produced by the current BE-4. Like its predecessor, Northstar operates on methane and liquid oxygen using a single-shaft turbopump architecture and an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle.
Lunar Missions and Ongoing BE-4 Production
In addition to the new propulsion system, Blue Origin is developing a hydrogen-oxygen third stage called GS3 to provide extra thrust for geostationary and lunar payload missions. Limp noted the rising demand in the commercial space sector, remarking, “There has never been higher demand for launch, ever.”
While Blue Origin transitions New Glenn to the Northstar system, the company will continue manufacturing the existing BE-4 engine for United Launch Alliance. United Launch Alliance utilizes two BE-4 engines to power the first stage of its Vulcan rocket.
