Blue Origin fires up used New Glenn rocket ahead of landmark reflight (photo)
Space • • science
Key Points:
- Blue Origin performed a 19-second static fire test of its New Glenn rocket's seven first-stage engines at Cape Canaveral, advancing preparations for the rocket's first-ever booster reflight.
- The upcoming NG-3 mission, planned for April 19, will reuse the booster from the previous ESCAPADE launch, marking a milestone in New Glenn's reusability efforts, although all seven engines on the booster have been replaced and upgraded.
- New Glenn, a two-stage rocket standing 322 feet tall, has flown twice before: a test flight in January 2025 and the successful November 2025 ESCAPADE mission to Mars, where the first stage was recovered on a drone ship.
- The NG-3 launch will carry a Block 2 BlueBird satellite for AST SpaceMobile, designed to provide direct-to-cellphone internet from low Earth orbit; this satellite is significantly larger than previous versions and represents a major payload for the mission.
- Blue Origin aims for each New Glenn first stage to be reusable up to 25 times, with the NG-3 mission potentially initiating multiple reflights of the same booster to demonstrate this capability.
