Blue Origin lands national-security launch order as New Glenn investigation unfolds

The U.S. Space Force awarded Blue Origin a National Reconnaissance Office launch task order under the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 program for a single launch (NRO Task Order-4) planned for late 2027 to early 2028 from Cape Canaveral, hours after a New Glenn pad explosion. The award signals a push to diversify national-security launch providers while Blue Origin investigates the anomaly and prepares a rebuild; Space Force and NRO reaffirm their partnership and will work with Blue Origin on root-cause actions.