The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on September 29 released a draft environmental assessment that would let Blue Origin fly up to 50 New Glenn missions a year from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. The rocket is currently capped at 12 launches a year, SpaceNews reports.
The document also covers the same number of first-stage landings on a floating platform in the Atlantic. On top of that, it allows up to 100 static fire tests a year — one for each stage ahead of every launch. A separate provision addresses recovering the payload fairings.
Blue Origin hasn’t tried that on any of New Glenn’s three flights so far. Under the plan, each fairing half will separate, stabilize itself with small thrusters, deploy parachutes and splash down in the ocean, where ships will pick it up.
The push for a much higher cadence comes in the wake of a serious accident in late May. While the company was preparing for New Glenn’s fourth launch, an explosion destroyed the rocket and badly damaged the pad. The failure forced satellite operator AST SpaceMobile to push its service launch back to 2027.
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After the explosion, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp set a goal of rebuilding the pad and returning New Glenn to flight by the end of the year. On September 29, he said the company is still on schedule. Around 1,000 people are working on the site around the clock in shifts.
Blue Origin is already sizing its manufacturing for a far faster pace. Limp said the first of the factories under construction is designed to build up to 150 upper stages a year. New Glenn’s second stage is expendable, so every flight needs a new one. The first stage, by contrast, is designed for at least 25 flights. Blue Origin is also building infrastructure meant to support launches at a similar rate.
The FAA will hold a public hearing on the draft on October 22. If it’s approved, New Glenn’s permitted launch rate will more than quadruple, from 12 to 50 a year.
Meanwhile, Blue Origin has decided to raise outside money for the first time in its more than 25-year history. Until now, founder Jeff Bezos has funded the company himself. According to Limp, the current round hasn’t closed yet but is already oversubscribed. He didn’t disclose the amount or the company’s valuation. Earlier reports pointed to a $10 billion raise, with Bezos putting in $2 billion and outside investors covering the rest.
Limp tied the decision to New Glenn clearing several key test milestones, including a successful landing and reuse of the first stage. He also cited Blue Origin’s plans for TeraWave, a broadband satellite constellation, and Project Sunrise, a constellation of orbital data centers. The company’s ambitions reach even further: in September, NASA tapped Blue Origin to build a communications relay satellite for Mars.
