Watch Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket’s first booster reuse attempt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nBlue Origin is entering its most important test yet against SpaceX, which will be when its New Glenn rocket performs its first reused booster.<\/p>\n
The NG-3 mission represents the third operational test of the New Glenn rocket, which is 322 feet long and was engineered for 25 reusable missions starting with its first stage. The outcome of this landing attempt will have important implications that extend beyond this particular launch.<\/p>\n
What’s flying, and why is Bluebird 7 unusually large?<\/h2>\n
The primary payload on NG-3 is Bluebird 7, a direct-to-cellphone Internet satellite built by Texas-based AST Spacemobile. It is the second “Block 2” satellite in the company’s growing constellation and is one of the largest commercial satellites currently operating in low Earth orbit, with its antenna spanning 2,400 square feet, approximately the footprint of a modest family home.<\/p>\n
Its predecessor, Bluebird 6, was launched last December on an Indian LVM3 rocket and shares similar dimensions. Earlier Block 1 satellites in the same constellation carry only 693 square feet of antennas, making the generational leap in scale immediately apparent.<\/p>\n
The first stage to fly on NG-3 is the same booster core that successfully landed on Blue Origin’s Atlantic droneship, Jacqueline, during the NG-2 mission in November 2025 \u2013 the flight that delivered NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars probe to orbit. For this launch, Blue Origin replaced all seven BE-4 Methalox engines and introduced several upgrades, including a thermal protection system on one engine nozzle.<\/p>\n
The company’s CEO confirmed the configuration on April 13 as he said future flights would use the original NG-2 engine. <\/p>\n
The booster, nicknamed “Never Tell Me the Odds”, conducted a 19-second static fire test on April 16 before moving the vehicle to Launch Complex-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft will launch during a two-hour period starting at 6:45 a.m. EDT on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Blue Origin’s commercial operations need to establish their base on the reusability engineering achievement that serves as their fundamental engineering achievement. <\/p>\n
New Glenn is the launch vehicle scheduled to carry the company’s Blue Moon lander to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program. Blue Moon recently completed vacuum chamber testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and is being flown to Kennedy Space Center for further qualification.<\/p>\n
NASA has reorganized its Artemis timeline, now setting mid-2027 as the target date for a crewed lunar landing attempt, which would use whichever lander, Blue Moon or SpaceX’s Starship, has completed its development earlier. <\/p>\n
NASA must finish demonstrations for both vehicles, which must pass before the agency can grant certification for crewed missions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n