In an Instagram post, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has granted us a rare glimpse into its Florida factory, showcasing the ongoing endeavors of the company. So, what insights does the photograph offer?
A look inside New Glenn’s factory
Normally enshrouded in mystery, Blue Origin’s New Glenn factory, situated near the Kennedy Space Center, boasts a comprehensive complex equipped for the production of the New Glenn rocket, with the exceptions of the BE-4 and BE-3U engines. While it’s been established that manufacturing activities have been ongoing for some time, including a test booster, a new photograph has been shared, sharing what Blue Origin is currently working on inside.
Shared on Blue Origin’s Instagram account, the image reveals various stages of production of hardware for the New Glenn rocket. The expansive factory floor is filled with tank sections in various stages of production, similar to what we see at SpaceX’s Starbase facility.
On the right-hand side of the photograph, situated beneath the windows that peer into Blue Origin’s Florida offices, stands a substantial assembly of tank segments. This configuration might potentially be an early prototype, a test booster, or, perhaps being hopeful, flight hardware. Nevertheless, the precise nature of the components captured in the photograph remains ambiguous, despite their association with New Glenn.
New Glenn, Blue Origin’s reusable heavy-lift rocket, poised as a competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Heavy, has been undergoing development for a considerable duration. Extensive delays have dogged the advancement of both the rocket and its propulsion systems.
Sightings of developmental hardware from Blue Origin are a rarity, rendering even a modest revelation like this one a welcome occurrence. However, any sort of update that doesn’t include a delay in the rocket’s launch date is a good one. But it would be really nice if we got more updates with more substance.
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When will New Glenn finally launch?
Speculation surrounding Blue Origin’s current state of readiness to launch the New Glenn rocket is rampant. Assorted rumors suggest scenarios ranging from a test vehicle being positioned on the launch pad this summer, a launch anticipated for the following year, to the notion that the company may remain unprepared until 2025. I’ve heard a lot of these rumors but they’re nothing more than just that for the time being as Blue Origin has kept a tight grip on any information getting out on its progress.
Blue Origin has spent the last few years building out its facilities down in Cape Canaveral, including the launch site that seems already ready to support New Glenn. However, flight hardware seems difficult to produce currently.
A Wall Street Journal feature shares Blue Origin’s continued commitment to launching New Glenn in 2024, or ideally, even sooner. CEO Bob Smith affirmed to the Journal, “I think everybody wants New Glenn to fly at the earliest time possible. Everybody does. We’re not going to sacrifice doing it right.”
New Glenn has been designated for launching lunar landers for Artemis 5 and beyond. In space testing of that lander is expected to begin as soon as next year. Delays to any tests would delay when the Blue Moon lander will be ready for NASA. Sticking to the timeline of launching next year is now extremely important for not just Blue Origin but for NASA as well.
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