On December 20, Blue Origin's New Glenn, this heavy and reusable launcher almost 100 m high, underwent new tests on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral (Florida) under the gaze of a few spectators. From a safe distance, they were able to observe so-called “cold” tests, which are sometimes the beginnings of engine ignition for a final “hot” test before the big moment of the first flight.
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So, were the seven liquid methane and oxygen BE-4 engines fired next? Well, no…
What's going on with the New Glenn?
There is only one week left before December 31 and eight days before 2025. However, Jeff Bezos' space company continues to announce a first test flight for 2024, and the maneuver on December 20 was probably an attempt to make it a reality this wish. Let us remember, however, that for a firing to take place, and not a static test as here, authorization is required from the famous FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) which we have often mentioned here, in particular regarding the IFTs of SpaceX's Starship. However, there is no authorization published for New Glenn at the moment…
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This famous inaugural flight was already to take place in September, a firing window which would have made it possible to launch the EscaPADE mission, two small NASA space probes intended to study the weak Martian magnetosphere. Their insertion into orbit around the red planet should therefore be delayed by two years, but the teams are studying the possibility of a launch in 2025 or 2026 for arrival at the destination in 2027. SpaceX and Elon Musk must be laughing at these delays…
This test, promised as imminent, must also be the first attempt to recover the first stage, which has never been attempted during an inaugural flight. A first floor which was therefore named “So, you telling me there’s a chance ?” (so you're telling me there's a chance?) in reference to the film Dumb & Dumberwhere Jim Carrey used this line to mean that one chance in a million was already a chance of success. If all goes well, this floor should land at sea on a barge called Jacklyn, the first name of Jeff Bezos' mother. How “dumb”…
In the crosshairs, competition SpaceX and Ariane
The New Glenn is a very beautiful reusable launcher which must put Blue Ring into orbit during this test firing, a sort of orbital platform capable of refueling and hosting satellites. It should eventually also launch military satellites and space missions for the benefit of NASA. Its characteristics are impressive:
- A fairing measuring 7 m in diameter (compared to 5.4 m for Ariane 6 and 5.2 m for the Falcon 9)
- A payload capacity of 45 t in low orbit, 13 t in geostationary and 7 t towards the Moon
It is therefore a real potential competitor to SpaceX's Falcon Heavy. All that remains is to see it in the sky and in space.
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