Saturday, July 4, 2026
Blue Origin details crane-based plan to fly New Glenn again
Blue Origin on June 30 outlined a redesigned launch-pad approach for returning New Glenn to flight after a May 28 static-fire explosion destroyed a vehicle and the pad's transporter-erector at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36. Under the new hybrid concept of operations, the rocket's stages are mated horizontally in the integration facility, rolled to the pad and lifted vertical with a crane, with the payload installed only after the vehicle is upright. The company reiterated it aims to return New Glenn to flight by the end of 2026, and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called Blue Origin's response 'almost beyond impressive.'
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