Blue Origin
Blue Origin prepares for New Glenn’s second stage engine test
Blue Origin has rolled out New Glenn’s second stage to the launch pad to test its engines prior to the upcoming maiden flight.
The company posted this update on social media site X and confirmed that it will conduct a fire test on two BE-3U engines.
New Glenn is a two-stage space launch vehicle with a reusable first stage equipped with seven BE-4 engines. The first stage is filled with liquid oxygen and each of them generates 550,000 lbf of thrust at sea level.
The rocket maker has already tested BE-7 at the lab and it’s ready to be used. On the other hand, the second stage will carry the payload into orbit. It has two BE-3U engines with 160,000 lbf of vacuum thrust.
Blue Origin New Glenn’s second stage engine test stand (Source – Blue Origin)
These engines are capable of higher thrust, durable performance, and in-space reignition capabilities for extensive operations.
The BE-3U engines are filled with liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen. This is an upgraded version of the BE-3 engine used in the New Shepard rocket. It is produced at Blue Origin’s engine manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
With this engine, Blue Origin can take different types of contracts including direct payload injection to high-energy orbits.
New Glenn will liftoff for the first flight no earlier than October 13 and its payload fairings will carry NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) orbiter satellites.
Read more below.
