Blue Origin reveals a super-heavy variant of its New Glenn rocket that is taller than a Saturn V

Fresh disconnected a completely successful 2nd formation of its caller mega rocket, Jeff Bezos’ abstraction institution Blue Origin has conscionable revealed designs for an adjacent larger mentation of the motorboat system. The new-look New Glenn volition beryllium adjacent taller than the historical Saturn V rocket and connected par with SpaceX’s Starship.

This super-heavy mentation of New Glenn volition diagnostic 9 of the company’s rocket engines connected the booster stage, and 4 connected the precocious stage. That’s up from 7 and two, respectively, connected the existent version, which Blue Origin says volition proceed to alert alongside the super-heavy variant. Blue Origin is present referring to the 2 versions arsenic New Glenn 9×4 and New Glenn 7×2.

That added firepower volition summation the New Glenn booster’s full thrust and let it to transportation “over 70 metric tons to low-Earth orbit,” somewhat beneath Starship’s existent theoretical capableness of 100 metric tons. SpaceX is moving connected caller versions of Starship that could treble that figure.

The larger New Glenn volition diagnostic a overmuch larger fairing (the forward-facing shield that covers the rocket’s payload) to let bigger payloads astatine the apical of the rocket. The added capableness volition enactment Blue Origin successful play for missions centered astir “mega-constellations, lunar and heavy abstraction explorations, and nationalist information imperatives specified arsenic Golden Dome.”

Blue Origin is presently competing with SpaceX to assistance with NASA missions to the Moon, and the institution is intelligibly teasing this capableness successful the rendering it released of New Glenn 9×4 connected Thursday.

The illustration shows a theoretical presumption from the crushed looking up astatine the caller super-heavy rocket soon aft takeoff. Above the rocket, appearing larger-than-usual? The Moon.

The 7×2 mentation of New Glenn received immoderate updates connected Thursday arsenic well. Its full thrust has increased, and it volition present diagnostic reusable fairings. Other smaller upgrades were made successful bid to trim the turnaround clip betwixt launches, according to Blue Origin.

The institution hasn’t acceptable a day for the adjacent motorboat yet, but close present it appears to beryllium penciled successful for aboriginal 2026. According to CEO Dave Limp, Blue Origin whitethorn soon effort to motorboat and onshore its uncrewed Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander to the Moon.