New Glenn Delay Pushes Return to Flight to January 2027
Blue Origin delayed New Glenn's return to flight to January 2027 after rebuilding its Florida launch pad, damaged in a May explosion, took longer than planned.
Hakkı ALKANPublished 3 min read
In the latest New Glenn delay, Blue Origin has pushed the rocket's return to flight to January 2027. As a result, it misses its goal of flying again before the end of this year. CEO Dave Limp told employees in a Wednesday memo that rebuilding the Cape Canaveral launch pad, badly damaged when the rocket exploded in May, took longer than planned.
The new date is only about 10 days later than the earlier target, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC on November 5. However, it still closes the door on the December comeback that founder Jeff Bezos talked about in a Fox News interview last month.
What Caused the New Glenn Delay?
In May, New Glenn exploded during a hot-fire test, in which the engines are fired while the rocket is held down on the pad. The blast heavily damaged Launch Complex 36 and destroyed the vehicle that carried the upright rocket to the pad. The rocket was due to launch 48 satellites for Amazon's Leo satellite internet service just days later.
Meanwhile, Limp said bad summer weather slowed the rebuild. According to his memo, the team recovered the wreckage in 12 days, repaired the access tower, restored the launch bridge, and found and fixed the cause of the failure. In August, Limp had said the problem started at the main oxygen valve on one of the BE-4 engines.
"This small adjustment doesn't diminish what we've accomplished or the importance of the work still ahead," Limp wrote. He added that returning New Glenn to flight remains the company's top priority.
What Changes at the Launch Pad?
Blue Origin is also changing how it prepares the rocket for launch. The fully assembled rocket will now roll out lying down and be raised at the pad, and the satellites or other payload will be added after the rocket is upright. In addition, the company says it will start testing this new process once construction is finished.
| Item | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Return to flight | December 2026 | January 2027 |
| Cause of delay | May pad explosion | Slower rebuild, summer weather |
| Amazon Leo flight | Days after May test | Waits for New Glenn |
What Else Did Blue Origin Announce?
The delay came alongside two new pieces of hardware, as The Register reported on November 6. GS3 is a new third stage for missions to geostationary orbit and beyond, and Blue Origin says it is already booked for a government cislunar mission in 2028. Northstar is a booster engine with half the parts of the BE-4 and more thrust, rising from 640,000 to 715,000 pounds-force.
Our Take
A 10-day slip sounds minor, but it matters. Amazon still needs heavy launches to build Leo against SpaceX, which keeps expanding with projects like Starlink mobile 5G. NASA also needs Blue Origin's lunar lander for its Artemis plans. Meanwhile, new players such as CesiumAstro with its $730M round are competing for the same limited launch capacity, so every month New Glenn stays grounded helps SpaceX.