Blue Origin upgrades new Glenn rocket launch infrastructure to take on SpaceX
In May, a 322-foot New Glenn rocket exploded on the company’s sole active Florida pad during a test
Blue Origin is aiming to fly its New Glenn heavy-lift rocket multiple times per week by the end of the decade.
The aggressive target is designed to compete with SpaceX, which achieved 165 Falcon launches in the previous year and plans for hundreds of annual flights using Starship.
Speaking about the existing footprint, Blue Origin has already spent over $3 billion on its Florida production and integration facilities, spanning 31 acres with approximately 5000 workers.
Jeff Bezos’ owned company has also targeted an additional $330 million expansion which is underway and the facility is targeted for completion by summer 2027 aimed at supporting the heavier New Glenn 9x4 variant, enabling annual production of up t0 150 upper stages.
Plans also include adding more launch and landing pads in Florida to expand capacity.
Ian Richardson, senior vice president of operations, said in a company blog post, "These investments are cantered on one goal: building the capacity to support more missions, more reliably, and more efficiently.”
"As we look ahead, this infrastructure is designed to support multiple flights per week by the end of the decade."
In May, a 322-foot New Glenn rocket exploded on the company’s sole active Florida pad during a test, causing severe pad damage and grounding the fleet for the remainder of the year.
Moreover, its prior mission in April suffered a second-stage issue, placing an AST SpaceMobile satellite into the wrong orbit where it re-entered Earth's atmosphere.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp considers fixing and returning New Glenn to the pad his highest priority, alongside key contracts like NASA's multibillion-dollar lunar lander program.
New Glenn is expected to return to service early next year.
