Thursday, June 4, 2026

Blue Origin commits to flying New Glenn again by year-end

Blue OriginAmazon Leo

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said on June 2 that New Glenn will return to flight before the end of 2026 despite the May 28 hotfire explosion that wrecked the transporter-erector at LC-36, citing better-than-expected damage to the propellant farm, water tower, an additional flight-ready booster, and three upper stages staged nearby. Limp said the company will shift to an alternative vertical assembly path rather than wait for a new transporter-erector and ruled out skipping straight to the larger 9x4 New Glenn variant - keeping Blue Moon MK1 'Endurance' and the Amazon Leo NG-2 manifest within reach for 2026.