Blue Origin says it is building a higher-performing engine at 1/4 the cost

Blue Origin is upgrading New Glenn to cut manufacturing costs and expand the rocket’s ability to send payloads to high orbits and the Moon. The company says these changes could help it scale toward more than 1,000 launches annually, reflecting what CEO Dave Limp describes as unprecedented demand for launch services. The main upgrade is Northstar, a methane-and-oxygen engine intended to replace the BE-4 on New Glenn’s first stage. Blue Origin says Northstar has half as many parts, is 30 percent lighter, and can be about 65 percent 3D-printed, while producing more thrust than the BE-4. The company aims to build it for one-quarter the BE-4’s cost and eventually assemble each engine in under a day. Testing is already underway; BE-4 production will continue for United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.

A separate addition, the hydrogen-powered GS3 third stage, is designed to send New Glenn directly to geostationary orbit or onto lunar trajectories. Depending on the rocket configuration, Blue Origin says it could deliver 8 to 14 metric tons to geostationary orbit, or 10 to 20 tons toward the Moon. The stage uses lightweight composite tanks, but hydrogen leakage and material stress posed engineering challenges. A 5.5-meter tank recently passed tests at expected operating pressure and at 150 percent of that pressure for ten minutes. Blue Origin is targeting a 2028 debut for a government customer pursuing a cislunar mission.