Blue Origin โTargets 2025 for First New Glenn Launch Following Historic Crew Capsule Debut
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMAโค – November 19, 2025 – Following the triumphant November โค18, 2025, uncrewed โคflight of โits Newโ Shepard โsuborbital rocket and capsule, Blue Origin is now focused onโ preparations for the inaugural launch of its much larger, orbital-class โNew Glenn rocket. The company anticipates the first New Glenn mission will occur in late 2025, markingโฃ a pivotal moment in Blue Origin’s ambition to become a leading provider of heavy-lift launch services and contribute to the expanding commercial โขspace sector.
new Glenn, significantly more powerful than New Shepard, is designed to deliver payloads directly to orbit, opening opportunities for launching larger satellites,โ space stations components, and eventually, human spaceflight missions. This capability is crucial as demand for space-based services – including communications,Earth observation,and scientific research – continues to grow. The โขrocket’s development hasโฃ faced delays, but the recent New Shepard success demonstrates progress in Blue Origin’s overall โlaunchโข capabilities and provides โvaluable operational experience.
The New Glenn rocket stands 270 feetโฃ (82 โขmeters) tallโ and is powered by seven BE-4 engines – fourโข on the first stageโข and three โคon the second stage. Notably, the BE-4 engineโ is also used onโค United Launch โคAlliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. Blue Origin aims to make New Glenn partially reusable, with the first stage designed to land vertically on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
Currently, blue Origin has secured contracts for New Glenn launches, including missions for theโ U.S. military and commercial satellite operators. One confirmed customer is amazon’sโ Project โKuiper, which plans to use New Glenn to deploy a constellation of satellites providing global broadband internet access. The company has not โคyet announced specific launch dates for these missions, but the 2025 debut is a critical step toward fulfilling those commitments.
