Blue Origin's Dave Limp says they are targeting late spring for the second New Glenn launch. Suggests some kind of engine issue caused the loss of the booster during its landing attempt, but declines to go into much detail.
“We had most of the right conditions in the engine but we weren’t able to get everything right to the engine from the tanks,” he said. “We think we understand what the issues are.”Telemetry was lost from the booster, according to data displayed on the company’s webcast of the launch, at about T+7:55 mark, during a reentry burn by three of the seven BE-4 engines in the booster. The company did not disclose what happened to the booster at that point and Limp declined to go into additional details. He noted, though, that demonstrating the in-flight relight of the BE-4 engines was one thing Blue Origin could not demonstrate before the launch.“It was a combination of a couple things,” he said. “This was our first attempt at it. I don’t want to go into too much detail because we’re still going through the anomaly investigation. I feel like the team has a really good handle to it and modifications are not complicated.”
Speaking at the 27th Annual Commercial Space Conference here Feb. 12, Dave Limp, chief executive of Blue Origin, suggested a propulsion issue of some kind caused the loss of the New Glenn booster during its landing attempt on the Jan. 16 NG-1 launch.“We had most of the right conditions in the engine but we weren’t able to get everything right to the engine from the tanks,” he said. “We think we understand what the issues are.”Telemetry was lost from the booster, according to data displayed on the company’s webcast of the launch, at about T+7:55 mark, during a reentry burn by three of the seven BE-4 engines in the booster. The company did not disclose what happened to the booster at that point and Limp declined to go into additional details. He noted, though, that demonstrating the in-flight relight of the BE-4 engines was one thing Blue Origin could not demonstrate before the launch.“It was a combination of a couple things,” he said. “This was our first attempt at it. I don’t want to go into too much detail because we’re still going through the anomaly investigation. I feel like the team has a really good handle to it and modifications are not complicated.”A second booster is in production. “I don’t think it’s going to delay our path to flight,” he said of the investigation. “I think we can still fly late spring.”
Last month, our Blue Ring Pathfinder launched on New Glenn, hitting all mission objectives. The second stage and the BE-3U engines reached insertion with less than 1% deviation from our exact orbital injection target. Designed for multi-mission, multi-orbit mobility, Blue Ring is redefining space maneuverability and operations.
We’ve submitted our final report and fulfilled our obligations to the FAA regarding the NG-1 mission booster landing attempt. New Glenn launched successfully on January 16, achieving our goal to reach orbit and deploy Blue Ring. Our ambitious attempt to land the booster, "So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance," was unsuccessful due to our three BE-4 engines not re-igniting properly. Our review confirmed that all debris landed in our designated hazard area with no threat to public safety. The report identified seven corrective actions, focusing on propellant management and engine bleed control improvements, which we’re already addressing. We expect to return to flight in late spring and will attempt to land the booster again.
The FAA says it has closed mishap investigations into both January Starship flight and the first New Glenn launch. For the latter, the booster was lost attempting a landing because of "an inability of New Glenn's first stage to restart the engines."
Blue Origin New Glenn-1 Mishap Investigation (Closed on March 28, 2025)The FAA-required investigation of the Blue Origin New Glenn-1 mishap that occurred on Jan. 16 is closed. There were no public injuries or public property damage.The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the Blue Origin-led investigation. The final mishap report identified the proximate cause of the mishap as an inability of New Glenn's first stage to restart the engines, preventing a reentry burn from occurring, and resulting in the loss of the stage.Blue Origin identified seven corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence of the event. The FAA will verify that Blue Origin implements corrective actions prior to the launch of the New Glenn-2 mission.The Blue Origin New Glenn vehicle is authorized to return to flight provided all other licensing requirements are met. Contact Blue Origin for more information.
Here's the full report.QuoteBlue Origin New Glenn-1 Mishap Investigation (Closed on March 28, 2025)The FAA-required investigation of the Blue Origin New Glenn-1 mishap that occurred on Jan. 16 is closed. There were no public injuries or public property damage.The FAA oversaw and accepted the findings of the Blue Origin-led investigation. The final mishap report identified the proximate cause of the mishap as an inability of New Glenn's first stage to restart the engines, preventing a reentry burn from occurring, and resulting in the loss of the stage.Blue Origin identified seven corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence of the event. The FAA will verify that Blue Origin implements corrective actions prior to the launch of the New Glenn-2 mission.The Blue Origin New Glenn vehicle is authorized to return to flight provided all other licensing requirements are met. Contact Blue Origin for more information.
New Glenn’s first flight now in 4k here on X.
Remarkable high-definition video of New Glenn lifting off via Max Evans:https://x.com/_mgde_/status/1920974853227577847QuoteNew Glenn’s first flight now in 4k here on X.
