Hold on tight, space enthusiasts! Blue Origin is upping the ante in the rocket race, and their latest New Glenn upgrade is a direct shot at SpaceX's Starship... literally in terms of height! Get ready for a super-heavyweight showdown.
Just weeks after celebrating a successful second launch, including the groundbreaking first landing of New Glenn's booster stage, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has revealed plans for a pumped-up version of its New Glenn rocket. This isn't just a minor tweak; it's a significant leap in power and capability, designed to directly challenge SpaceX's dominance in the heavy-lift launch market.
The mind behind this article is Dr. Alfredo Carpineti, a Senior Staff Writer & Space Correspondent with a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College London. The article was edited by Holly Large, who holds a degree in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Leicester.
So, what's the big deal about this new New Glenn? Currently, the New Glenn rocket, in its 7x2 configuration, boasts two stages: a reusable booster for the initial ascent and an upper stage that's expendable, burning up in the atmosphere after delivering its payload to orbit. It's powered by seven BE-4 liquid fuel rocket engines on the booster and two BE-3U engines on the upper stage.
But here's where it gets controversial... The upgraded New Glenn, dubbed the 9x4, will pack a whopping nine BE-4 engines on the first stage and four BE-3U engines on the second. This translates to a significant boost in lifting capacity. The current 7x2 configuration can already haul an impressive 45 metric tons (99,000 pounds) to low-Earth orbit, putting it in the same league as SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, especially when considering cost-effectiveness under certain launch conditions. The new 9x4 is projected to carry over 70 metric tons (154,000 pounds)! That's more than even the fully expendable version of the Falcon Heavy can manage. Of course, the less fuel needed for rocket recovery allows for more mass dedicated to payloads.
According to Blue Origin's official statement, "The next chapter in New Glenn’s roadmap is a new super-heavy class rocket... New Glenn 9x4 is designed for a subset of missions requiring additional capacity and performance. The vehicle carries over 70 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, over 14 metric tons direct to geosynchronous orbit, and over 20 metric tons to trans-lunar injection. Additionally, the 9x4 vehicle will feature a larger 8.7-meter fairing.”
And this is the part most people miss... It’s not just about the payload. A scaled comparison shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Blue Origin's CEO, Dave Limp, shows that the New Glenn 9x4 will be taller than the legendary Saturn V rocket! This means it will be at least 12 meters (37 feet) taller than the current New Glenn 7x2, bringing it very close to the height of SpaceX's Starship, which stands at a towering 123 meters (404 feet) in its current configuration.
Starship is ultimately expected to carry a larger payload, making it a direct competitor to New Glenn 9x4. But, Starship’s development has been plagued with delays and setbacks. Starship is slated to be the lunar lander for NASA's Artemis III and Artemis IV missions. However, a string of explosive test failures earlier this year led acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy to publicly request proposals from other companies for a human lunar lander to ensure the Artemis III mission's mid-2027 deadline wasn't missed. This sparked a public spat between Duffy and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Even leaked SpaceX documents suggest that, in the most optimistic scenario, Starship won't be ready before September 2028. This situation has led to speculation about whether the mission timeline is realistic.
Blue Origin, meanwhile, is developing its own lunar lander, Blue Moon, planned for readiness by 2030 for the Artemis V mission. Testing is scheduled to begin in early 2026. Could Blue Origin step in to fill the gap for Artemis III? It's a possibility, especially as Blue Origin seems to be courting favor with the Trump administration, discussing plans for lunar development and the deployment of the "Golden Dome" network of satellites. But, there's no guarantee they'll be ready in time, and the political landscape could dramatically shift before then.
So, the question remains: Is Blue Origin genuinely poised to become a major player in the heavy-lift launch market, challenging SpaceX's dominance and potentially even stepping in to support NASA's lunar ambitions? Or is this just ambitious marketing hype? What are your thoughts on the future of space exploration and the rivalry between these two titans of the industry? Share your opinions in the comments below!
