Blue Origin has been steadily advancing work on its orbital-class New Glenn rocket, with recent activity pointing to potential recovery and reuse of its massive payload fairings. Early Monday, observers noted testing at the Kennedy Space Center turn basin, where New Glenn fairings were placed in the water. While the company has not confirmed the purpose, the trials align with efforts to assess recovery feasibility, a practice pioneered by SpaceX with its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy fairings.
The scale of New Glenn’s fairings is notable. Constructed from carbon composite, they measure seven meters in diameter and 21.9 meters in height, significantly larger than SpaceX’s 5.2-meter-wide, 13.9-meter-tall counterparts. Given the high cost of carbon composite manufacturing, recovery could reduce launch expenses and improve operational efficiency. The sighting coincides with indications that Blue Origin may be expanding its Florida footprint, potentially acquiring a Port Canaveral facility once used by SpaceX for fairing processing. This could serve as a dedicated site for refurbishment operations.
Parallel to fairing recovery ambitions, Blue Origin continues to refine its first-stage recovery strategy. The company’s original plan involved landing New Glenn’s booster on a converted cargo vessel named Jacklyn, designed with a large platform and hydrodynamic features to stabilize in rough seas. Founder Jeff Bezos had emphasized this approach as a means to enable recovery in challenging ocean conditions. However, with the rocket’s debut slipping, conversion work on Jacklyn stalled, and in August 2022 the vessel was towed to the Port of Brownsville for scrapping. This pivot suggests a move toward recovery methods more akin to SpaceX’s autonomous drone ships.
Hardware sightings have offered rare glimpses into New Glenn’s development. Aerial imagery and webcast footage have revealed a second stage, partially assembled interstage, aft thrust section with landing legs, multiple payload fairings, and tank components. On October 3, an interstage was spotted at the surface coating facility, appearing further along than in earlier broadcasts. At Launch Complex 36, a second-stage test article has been positioned, possibly for propellant loading trials. Additionally, the self-propelled modular transporter used for the transporter/erector was moved into the horizontal integration facility on December 2, hinting at preparations to roll out a Stage 1 simulator.
Engine development remains central to progress. Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines, seven of which will power New Glenn’s first stage, are also being supplied to United Launch Alliance for its Vulcan rocket. The Vulcan variant does not require in-flight restart, enabling refurbishment for subsequent missions. For New Glenn, however, BE-4 engines must support restart capability to enable propulsive landings. ULA CEO Tory Bruno has stated that Blue Origin has established a weekly BE-4 testing cadence, focusing on engines for upcoming Vulcan flights.
While New Glenn advances, the company’s suborbital New Shepard program remains grounded following the NS-23 mission anomaly. Designed for space tourism and research, New Shepard has flown 23 times, with NS-23 marking its sole failure. At one minute and five seconds into flight, a BE-3 engine issue triggered the capsule’s abort system. The uncrewed capsule executed a safe separation and parachute landing, but the booster was lost. The BE-3 engine, used on New Shepard, has a vacuum-optimized BE-3U variant slated for New Glenn’s second stage.
No public details have emerged from the ongoing investigation, but a recent Federal Communications Commission permit filing by Blue Origin to downlink telemetry during the next New Shepard launch suggests progress toward resuming flights. The Federal Aviation Administration’s closure of the inquiry would clear the path for the program’s return, potentially restoring the suborbital platform’s role as a technology test bed for New Glenn’s systems.