Blue Origin seems confident of launching New Glenn in 2024

Enlarge / This picture, taken several month There is, watch different rooms For Blue Origin New Glenn rocket inside THE the society manufacturing ease In Florida. Blue Origin

For THE First of all time, It is departure has feel as Jeff Bezos's space business, Blue Origin, could to have A shot has launch It is long delayed New Glenn rocket In THE following 12 month.

Of course, There is A plot For Blue Origin has test And to validate Before New Glenn East ready has fly. First of all, THE the society engineers need has fully to assemble A New Glenn rocket And increase he on THE the society sprawling sea ​​side launch buffer has Cape Canaveral Space Force Station In Florida. There is A GOOD chance of This event In THE future month as Blue Origin prepares For A series of tanking tests And simulated countdowns has THE launch site.

It is tempting has invoke Shepherd Law, THE guideline defended by My Ars colleague which States that if A launch East program For THE fourth quarter of A calendar year - and if he East has less six month far - the launch will delay In THE following year. Given Blue Origin history of New Glenn delays, It is probably THE safer bet. New Glenn's inaugural flight has has been delayed Since 2020 until 2021, SO 2022, And For NOW, East foreseen For 2024.

But It is value noting that Blue Origin has has been consistent In It is 2024 launch calendar For New Glenn For A while NOW, And on Tuesday, A senior Blue Origin official double down on This aim For THE beginning of New Glenn. There are Also several panels beyond declarations Since Blue Origin that THE business East manufacturing real progress with It is new rocket.

THE in two steps New Glenn will stay upright more that 320 feet (98 meters) big, with THE aptitude has carry almost 100,000 pound sterling (45 metric tons) of payload In lowland orbit, according to has Blue Origin. This East A weight class above THE The highest aptitude of United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket Or SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket but below SpaceX Falcon Heavy.

A NASA official last month said THE agency anticipates putting A of It is robotics March missions on THE First of all flight of Blue Origin new rocket following year. THE March science assignment, appointed GETAWAY, consists of two little identical spatialship has study THE Martian magnetosphere. He East relatively weak In cost, And NASA East willing has accept a few risk In launch he on THE First of all New Glenn flight, but if he doesn't leave Earth following year, THE assignment faces A two years delay.

Lars Hoffman, Blue Origin vice president of government sales, gave A high level preview of THE privately developed New Glenn rocket during A presentation Tuesday has THE Space Force Associations Space power Conference In Orlando.

"Were NOW ready has Really to start amplification things up A little," Hoffmann said. "GOOD to start launch New Glenn following year."

What has watch For In 2024

Hoffmann watch A video inside Blue Origin New Glenn manufacturing factory close from NASA Kennedy Space Center, A little kilometers far Since THE launch site has Cape Canaveral. Blue Origin for has to use most of THE rooms visible inside, which included tanks And other metallic structures, on real able to fly New Glenn rockets, he said. A few of THE equipment will be used For qualification essay on THE ground.

"THE manufacturing pace East just picking up by THE day," Hoffmann said THE gathering of Space Force civil servants. "This East all flight material that were going has fly on OUR First of all launches following year. There is a few quality material In there as GOOD, but things are picking up very fast. In do, were expansion THE buildings there has support that scaling. »

In THE last little weeks, photographers to have caught glimpses of New Glenn's payload fairing traveling on A carrier down A road close Cape Canaveral. THE shell-shaped fairing has A diameter of 23 feet (7 meters) And A height of more that 70 feet (21.9 meters), with roughly twice THE volume as A typical payload wrap stolen on SpaceX Falcon 9 Or Falcon Heavy rocket, according to has Hoffman.

THE fairing East NOW inside Blue Origin shed close THE New Glenn launch buffer, Hoffmann said. A big section of A New Glenn First of all scene amplifier, complete with Blue Origin delivered, was Also