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Blue Origin adding second pad to Cape Canaveral launch complex amid rocket explosion repairs
Space • • general
Key Points:
- Blue Origin plans to expand its Florida launch site at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex-36 (LC-36) by adding a second pad and building new operations infrastructure, including a Vertical Integration Facility and a Payload Processing Facility, to support its larger New Glenn "9x4" rocket.
- The company is repairing the existing LC-36A pad after a May explosion destroyed a New Glenn "7x2" rocket during testing, with hopes to resume launches by the end of 2026, though no timeline has been given for the new LC-36B pad or the debut of the 9x4 variant.
- The New Glenn 7x2 rocket uses seven BE-4 engines on its first stage and two BE-3Us on its second, while the upcoming 9x4 will feature nine BE-4 engines and four BE-3Us, enabling it to carry larger payloads and maintain reusability with first-stage landings.
- LC-36 has a long history of supporting significant NASA and commercial missions since the 1960s but was decommissioned in the mid-2000s before Blue Origin took over in 2015 and launched its first New Glenn mission in 2025.
- The planned additional pad will involve substantial construction, including a 700-foot-tall launch tower requiring approximately 2,500 tons of steel, marking a significant expansion of Blue Origin's launch capabilities at this historic site.
