Jeff Bezos is locked in watching his space company's rocket 🚀 , New Glenn, launch yesterday.
We know plenty about SpaceX rockets as they get all the media attention. So let's look at Blue Origin's New Glenn.
Last week, it safely reached its intended orbit during today's NG-1 mission. The second stage is in its final orbit following two successful burns of the BE-3U engines.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
New Glenn is a two-stage, heavy-lift launch vehicle. It has a 7-meter diameter.
𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
The rocket stands approximately 98 meters tall, making it one of the largest rockets ever built.
𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞
-𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Powered by seven BE-4 engines. These engines use liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as propellants. Each BE-4 engine generates around 2,446 kN of thrust at sea level.
-𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: The first stage is designed to be fully reusable, with plans to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean after separation. It's expected to be reusable for up to 25 missions.
𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞:
-𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Equipped with two vacuum-optimized BE-3U engines powered by a mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Each BE-3U provides about 770 kN of thrust in vacuum conditions.
-𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧: The second stage is currently expendable, although Blue Origin has explored concepts for making it reusable.
𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲:
The rocket can deliver up to 45 metric tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Capable of sending 13 metric tons to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO):
𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠
It features a 7-meter diameter fairing, significantly larger than traditional five-meter class fairings, offering twice the volume. This allows for the launch of larger satellites or more satellites per launch.
𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞
The New Glenn rocket launches from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with plans for additional launch facilities at Vandenberg Space Force Base for polar orbits.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬
The rocket's top stage has four large pivoting fins for steering during ascent and descent. Three of the seven BE-4 engines, which can gimbal, provide additional control.
𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬
The development of New Glenn has faced numerous challenges, including delays due to the complexity of building a rocket with such high payload capacity and reusability features from the outset.
📸 BlueOrigin