Blue Origin has disclosed two propulsion developments for its New Glenn rocket: a third stage for high-energy missions and a more powerful first-stage engine. The announcements come as the company works toward its next launch following a pad explosion in late May.
CEO Dave Limp revealed both programs at Up.Summit, an invite-only event held at Kennedy Space Center.
Glenn Stage 3 targets geostationary and lunar-bound missions
The new upper stage, Glenn Stage 3 (GS3), is intended for missions that need direct injection into geostationary orbit (GEO) or Earth-escape trajectories. Blue Origin said a government mission to cis-lunar space is already booked for 2028, though it gave no further details about the payload or customer.
The company’s stated performance figures depend on the New Glenn variant. On the 9×4 configuration, GS3 can deliver up to 14 metric tons to GEO and 20 metric tons to trans-lunar injection (TLI). On the 7×2 vehicle, the figures are up to 8 metric tons to GEO and 10 metric tons to TLI.
GS3 is housed within an interstage and uses the same fixed payload adapters and fairing as the two-stage New Glenn. According to Blue Origin, that preserves the full fairing volume for customers.
The stage is powered by the BE-7 engine, which also drives the company’s Blue Moon Mark 1 and Mark 2 lunar landers. Blue Origin said GS3 is not required for its current plans to help land astronauts on the Moon, but could support “sustained operations around the Moon.” Delivering mass directly to TLI would shorten transit times and conserve propellant for operations in orbit, the company said.
Testing is underway at Launch Site One in Texas. Blue Origin said it held a liquid hydrogen tank at 100 percent of Maximum Expected Operating Pressure (MEOP) for 2.5 hours, then raised it to 150 percent of MEOP for 10 minutes. The company expects the GS3 tank to be the first composite liquid hydrogen tank flown in space.
Northstar engine raises first-stage thrust
Blue Origin also unveiled Northstar, a new first-stage engine. Like the BE-4, it burns liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen. Northstar is rated at 715,000 pounds of thrust, versus 640,000 pounds for the BE-4.
The company said Northstar keeps the BE-4’s oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle and single-shaft turbopump architecture. It said the engine went from program approval to development testing in 11 months, and that manufacturing changes allow an engine to be assembled in less than a day.
Blue Origin said Northstar will be “joining BE-4” but gave no timeline. A person familiar with the program said the engine will be compatible with the New Glenn 9×4 and that the BE-4 will remain important to the company, including on the return-to-flight mission.
Blue Origin has not announced a date for that mission.
Source: spaceflightnow.com
