Tag

Blue Origin

All articles tagged with #blue origin

space11 days ago•160 min saved

Blue Origin expands Cape Canaveral with second pad as it rebuilds after explosion

Blue Origin plans to revive Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 36 as a dual-pad facility to support the larger New Glenn 9x4 rocket, with a new Vertical Integration Facility and Payload Processing Facility to be built nearby. The move follows May’s explosion that damaged LC-36, and the company says it will need up to about 2,500 tons of steel for a new launch tower; repairs to LC-36A are targeted to allow the 7x2 to return by year’s end, but there’s no announced timeline for LC-36B or the 9x4 debut.

via Space|

#blue-origin #cape-canaveral #launch-complex-36

space13 days ago•9 min saved

NASA chief optimistic Artemis 3 target set for 2027 as lunar mission advances

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman expressed strong confidence that Artemis 3 will launch in 2027, outlining a three-launch sequence at Kennedy Space Center: Blue Origin’s New Glenn will carry a test version of its Blue Moon Mark 2 lander into low Earth orbit, followed days later by the SLS/Orion stack that will rendezvous with the lander; SpaceX’s Starship Version 3 will serve as the docking target for Orion, with rollout timing tied to continued progress on SLS and lander testing. The Max Power air- and-space expo, run by private sponsors, will be held at KSC facilities in November 2026 and is not NASA-funded. Artemis 4 remains in planning with the crewed landing system to be chosen later.

via Spaceflight Now|

#artemis-3 #blue-origin #nasa

launch14 days ago•14 min saved

Blue Origin plots second Cape Canaveral pad for larger New Glenn

Blue Origin will rebuild LC-36A and add a new LC-36B pad at Cape Canaveral to support a larger New Glenn 9×4, including a vertical integration facility and a payload processing facility; LC-36A will host the current New Glenn 7×2, while no schedule was provided for the 9×4. The company is transitioning to a horizontal/vertical hybrid CONOPS and has been testing vertical stacking at LC-11, with the Space Force having previously awarded $78.2 million for the payload facility. Rebuilding LC-36A and returning to flight this year remains the priority, according to Blue Origin executives.

via SpaceNews|

#blue-origin #cape-canaveral #launch

technology22 days ago•4 min saved

Blue Origin pins BE-4 oxygen valve as trigger of New Glenn anomaly

Blue Origin says the May hot-fire anomaly on New Glenn originated at the main oxygen valve of a BE-4 engine. The company is conducting extensive engine tests, planning a valve retrofit with updated hardware, and aiming to resume flight by year-end while continuing debris cleanup and fault-tree analyses.

via Ars Technica|

#be-4-engine #blue-origin #new-glenn

technology22 days ago•2 min saved

Faulty valve blamed for Blue Origin New Glenn explosion; new hardware planned

Blue Origin says a faulty main oxygen valve on a BE-4 engine caused the Florida explosion during a static fire; updated hardware will be manufactured by the end of the month, no injuries were reported, and NASA-backed testing of the upper stage will continue with a goal to fly again by year-end.

via WESH|

#be-4 #blue-origin #explosion

space22 days ago•78 min saved

Musk Reaches Out as Blue Origin Pinpoints New Glenn Explosion Cause

Elon Musk offered public support to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin after the New Glenn launchpad explosion was traced to a main oxygen valve on a BE-4 engine. Blue Origin says it will implement valve modifications and retrofit updated hardware to existing engines, with testing and fault-tree analysis underway and updated parts expected by the end of August as the company aims to return to flight later in 2026; the incident caused no injuries and underscores the high-stakes competition in the U.S. launch market, including NASA’s Artemis program and SpaceX’s role in the broader spaceflight ecosystem.

via Benzinga|

#be-4 #blue-origin #elon-musk

spacelaunch22 days ago•13 min saved

BE-4 oxygen valve blamed for New Glenn explosion, prompting rapid engine fixes

Blue Origin has traced the May explosion of its New Glenn rocket to a liquid oxygen valve on one BE-4 engine, and is conducting extensive tests to understand the failure and inform mitigations. The company plans small retrofits to the valve and has hardware updates ready by the end of the month. Because the BE-4 engine powers ULA’s Vulcan Centaur, the findings could affect that program as well, though ULA has not announced a return-to-flight schedule. Blue Origin remains focused on rebuilding Launch Complex 36 and aiming for New Glenn’s flight return by year’s end.

via SpaceNews|

#be-4 #blue-origin #lox-valve

science27 days ago•50 min saved

NASA Partners With Blue Origin to Test New Glenn Upper Stage at Stennis

Blue Origin’s failed launch destroyed the company’s only pad capable of handling the New Glenn rocket, prompting NASA to retrofit its B-2 testing pad at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to accommodate testing of the upper stage and keep momentum for lunar ambitions underway as private industry takes on more of NASA’s test work.

via Yahoo|

#blue-origin #nasa #new-glenn

obituaries1 month ago•19 min saved

Six-Decade Dream Fulfilled: Pioneer Wally Funk Dies at 87

Wally Funk, a trailblazing aviator who pursued space for six decades, died at 87. After earning a pilot’s license early and training as a female astronaut in the 1960s, she finally flew aboard Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin mission in 2021, becoming a symbol of perseverance in space exploration.

via The Washington Post|

#aviation #blue-origin #obituaries

business1 month ago•16 min saved

SpaceX Slump Triggers Fresh Questions Over Sky-High Valuation

SpaceX shares slipped to about $145 after its Nasdaq-100 debut, down roughly 35% from a mid-June high as investors grapple with a near-$2 trillion valuation and ongoing profitability concerns, despite bullish price targets from banks. The pullback comes as SpaceX’s merger with xAI burns billions and Blue Origin raises funding at a high valuation, all amid broader market headwinds for tech stocks.

via Yahoo Finance|

#blue-origin #business #nasdaq-100

business1 month ago•4 min saved

Blue Origin Targets $10B Funding Round at $130B Valuation to Accelerate Space Rivalry

Blue Origin is raising $10 billion from external investors at a $130 billion pre-money valuation, led by Coatue with a $2 billion contribution from Jeff Bezos. This marks the company’s first external funding and aims to accelerate growth as it competes with SpaceX, which has far more launches and recently went public with a multi-trillion-dollar valuation.

via Business Insider|

#blue-origin #business #funding

business1 month ago•17 min saved

SpaceX slips below IPO price as Blue Origin secures fresh funding

SpaceX stock SPCX hit an all-time low, briefly trading below its $150 IPO price as rival Blue Origin raises about $10 billion at a $130 billion valuation, signaling diverging momentum in the space sector: Nasdaq-100 inclusion may already be priced in for SpaceX, while Blue Origin draws new outside capital despite a New Glenn rocket setback and signals ambitions in satellite connectivity (TeraWave) alongside broader Amazon LEO plans that could compete with Starlink.

via Yahoo Finance|

#aerospace #blue-origin #business

business1 month ago•2 min saved

Blue Origin Valued at $130 Billion in First External Funding Round

Blue Origin is raising about $10 billion in its first outside funding round, valuing the company at $130 billion; Bezos will contribute $2 billion, with about $4 billion from Coatue and the remaining $4 billion from other investors. The round follows SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO, boosts Blue Origin’s push in heavy-lift rockets and lunar landers, and aims to return the New Glenn rocket to flight by the end of 2026 after a May test failure.

via CNBC|

#aerospace #blue-origin #business

business1 month ago•5 min saved

Blue Origin to raise $10B in private funding, valuing at $130B

Blue Origin is reportedly raising $10 billion in private capital, valuing the company at about $130 billion. Lead investor Coatue Management would contribute $4 billion, with another $4 billion from large institutional investors and $2 billion from Jeff Bezos. The funds are earmarked to advance the New Glenn heavy-lift rocket, lunar landers, and two megaconstellations (TeraWave and Project Sunrise) to compete with SpaceX in launches and space services. SpaceX recently raised about $85 billion with a roughly $2 trillion valuation, underscoring the competitive context in private spaceflight.

via Ars Technica|

#blue-origin #business #new-glenn

space1 month ago•11 min saved

New Glenn timetable remains uncertain as NASA's Moon plan hinges on Starship

Ars Technica's Ars Live recap features a panel debating when Blue Origin's New Glenn (especially the 9×4 variant) will fly, with no firm debut date and speculation of a late-2027/early-2028 timeline. Experts warn that adding more engines complicates the design and could delay milestones, potentially pushing NASA's Moon-landing plans this decade to rely on SpaceX's Starship rather than waiting for New Glenn. The discussion also touches on past architectural changes and the loss of Launch Complex 36A, highlighting ongoing uncertainty about achieving Artemis-era lunar missions.

via Ars Technica|

#artemis #blue-origin #moon-mission