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Blue Origin just lately test-fired the second stage for New Glenn’s second flight, whereas different preparations for this and different future flights are underway on the firm’s amenities in Florida. The second stage’s take a look at firing is one in every of quite a lot of steps that have to be accomplished earlier than the rocket’s second flight, at present considered across the center of this 12 months.
The second stage, often known as Glenn Stage 2 (GS2), was erected at Launch Complicated-36 (LC-36) on the Cape Canaveral House Drive Station on Monday, April 21. After checkouts, it was supposed to fireside its engines as early as Wednesday, April 23. Nonetheless, the take a look at didn’t happen that day. After extra preparations, the stage lastly ignited its engines on Thursday, April 24, at 1:10 PM EDT (17:10 UTC).
A New Glenn second stage inside the combination facility at Launch Complicated 36. (Credit score: David Limp/Blue Origin)
GS2 is provided with two BE-3U engines, which use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, and are optimized to be used within the vacuum of area. LC-36 must be able to dealing with three propellants — liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen, and liquid methane, as New Glenn’s first stage options seven BE-4 engines that use methane as their gas.
This GS2 has enhanced BE-3U engines providing a most thrust of 778.4 kN (175,000 lbf), in comparison with 769.5 kN (173,000 lbf) for the primary flight of New Glenn. Blue Origin CEO David Limp introduced in a social media submit on X that the GS2’s engines fired for a full period of 15 seconds. This take a look at firing, assuming it’s utterly profitable, clears the best way for different actions required to organize New Glenn Flight 2 for launch.
January’s GS2 carried out remarkably throughout our inaugural New Glenn launch, delivering our payload to orbit with lower than 1% deviation from the goal. Right this moment, we accomplished a full period 15-second hotfire take a look at of the higher stage for our NG-2 mission. This time, we achieved… pic.twitter.com/SWZzAf5oYL
— Dave Limp (@davill) April 24, 2025
Flight 2’s booster stage, Glenn Stage 1 (GS1), remains to be within the firm’s Exploration Park campus, present process its personal preparations earlier than being rolled out to the combination hangar at LC-36. GS1 and GS2 can be mated there and erected on the launch pad for added testing earlier than their flight. It isn’t at present identified with full certainty which payload can be flying on this launch, although NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars is a possible risk.
The ESCAPADE payload consists of two small satellites that can orbit Mars and examine the Martian magnetosphere. The low mass of the satellites — collectively totaling 180 kg — permits the mission to be launched exterior a usually most popular switch window to Mars. Different payloads which are additionally anticipated to fly on New Glenn this 12 months are BlueBird and Kuiper satellite tv for pc constellation missions, in addition to flights to check programs for Blue Origin’s Artemis human moon lander, the Blue Moon MK2.
Whereas preparations for Flight 2 are underway, different exercise can also be in work at Blue Origin’s amenities in Florida to organize for subsequent New Glenn flights. A GS2 stage for an upcoming flight was just lately noticed on the firm’s Second Stage Cleansing and Testing Facility, often known as 2CAT.
New amenities at Exploration Park are in additional superior phases of completion, such because the Chemical Processing Facility and the Lunar Plant 1 manufacturing facility constructing. The Chemical Processing Facility now has its roof and partitions added and is structurally full; it had barely been underway throughout NSF’s flyover in February.
A wider view of Exploration Park, from the Lunar Plant 1 partially seen on the left, to the Chemical Processing Facility on the suitable. (Credit score: Max Evans for NSF)
Lunar Plant 1, which is now outfitted with at the least two bridge cranes for a switch aisle, will manufacture Blue Moon lunar landers and is a crucial piece of Blue Origin’s lunar technique. Subsequent to the Lunar Plant 1 facility, the muse is being laid for the upcoming Steel Forming Facility. This facility is roughly the identical dimension because the Mild Industrial Constructing subsequent to it, however can be possible expanded sooner or later.
Blue Origin’s exercise in Texas can also be contributing to its lunar efforts. In addition to the historic and controversial NS-31 mission accomplished this month, flying six girls into area for a suborbital flight, New Shepard additionally demonstrated its capacity to conduct experiments utilizing simulated lunar gravity on a earlier uncrewed flight.
Blue Origin’s BE-7 prototype engine. (Credit score: Blue Origin)
The corporate’s BE-3U, BE-4, and BE-7 engines are manufactured in Huntsville, Alabama. Engine testing takes place at Take a look at Stand 4670 in Huntsville in addition to the corporate’s take a look at web site in Van Horn, Texas, close to the place the New Shepard launch facility is positioned.
The BE-7 engines use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants, and are able to producing as much as 44.5 kN (10,000 lbf) of thrust. They are going to be utilized in Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 robotic Lunar lander, in addition to the MK2 human lander. A Blue Moon MK1 pathfinder might fly on an upcoming New Glenn flight as quickly as this 12 months.
(Lead picture: Blue Origin’s BE-3U higher stage for the second New Glenn flight take a look at firing on April 24, 2025, at LC-36. Credit score: Blue Origin)
