Blue Origin continues to take massive steps ahead with its New Glenn orbital rocket as {hardware} rolls out to the launch pad, cryogenic testing begins, and the BE-4 engine good points a brand new check stand. The corporate nonetheless goals to launch New Glenn not less than as soon as in 2024.
Over the previous month, Launch Complicated 36 (LC-36) has seen a big enhance in New Glenn-related exercise, together with two automobiles being rolled out of the mixing facility and raised vertically on the launch mount, the first-ever publicly seen cryogenic tanking exams of New Glenn {hardware}, and pad upgrades to assist future {hardware} testing.
The primary rollout happened on Feb. 11, 2024, when Blue Origin rolled out a simulator automobile from LC-36’s integration facility and up the ramp to the launch mount. The simulator automobile consisted of mockup first and second levels that are used to simulate the dimensions, form, and dry mass of New Glenn’s flight levels. The simulator was then raised to a vertical place on Feb. 13.
The operation examined rolling out the transporter erector (TE) with a rocket onboard and rotating it right into a vertical place on the launch mount. After spending three days on the launch pad, the stack was lowered to horizontal and rolled again into the mixing facility on Feb 14.
A full New Glenn stack raised vertical at Blue Origin’s Launch Complicated 36. (Credit score: Blue Origin)
Only one week afterward Feb. 21, 2024, Blue Origin rolled out the primary full stack of a New Glenn rocket. The automobile was raised to vertical between its two 175-meter-tall lightning towers later that day. New Glenn turned the fourth tallest rocket to ever stand on the House Coast at 98 meters tall, solely behind the Saturn V, Ares I-X, and SLS.
Whereas elements of the automobile – such because the aft part, interstage, second stage, and fairings – are usually not flight {hardware}, the primary stage tankage is meant to participate in a static fireplace later this yr in addition to for use on a future mission.
The aim of the stack going to the launch pad was to carry out an built-in tanking check (ITT), which might exhibit filling the booster with liquid nitrogen to check cryogenic tanking operations, tank strain management, and the automobile’s venting techniques.
On Feb. 27, a tanking check of the New Glenn first stage was noticed. This marked the primary time a New Glenn tank part would obtain any cryogenics on the pad at LC-36, marking a significant milestone for the launch pad itself as floor techniques went by means of activation. The check lasted for round 3 hours earlier than all exercise disappeared. On March 4, one other tanking check happened and lasted for not less than six hours.
The New Glenn pathfinder vertical at Launch Complicated 36 following testing. (Credit score: Max Evans for NSF)
Following these occasions, Blue Origin confirmed that three tanking exams had been accomplished on New Glenn’s first stage, and the automobile can be rolled again to the mixing facility. From right here, it’s most definitely that the rocket might be ready for the following spherical of testing, which is able to embrace a static fireplace of the seven first-stage BE-4 engines. This check will mark the primary time that Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines will ignite whereas built-in with a New Glenn first stage. It’ll even be the primary time that the brand new launch pad helps an engine firing.
Blue is planning for an preliminary fleet of 4 boosters, as every New Glenn first stage is meant to be reused not less than 25 occasions. With expertise gained from 22 profitable propulsive landings of New Shepard’s propulsion module, it’s not unreasonable that Blue will be capable of obtain its purpose of efficiently touchdown New Glenn’s first stage on the maiden launch. Nevertheless, a touchdown platform is but to be seen after the corporate scrapped its Jacklyn ship in 2022 in favor of a extra simplified barge-like system.
Blue Origin just lately filed up to date web site plans for LC-36 as a part of a allow to improve the power. Included within the plans was a brand new web site on the northeast nook of the complicated, known as an MKX Check Stand. With propellant traces operating to this web site from the pad’s foremost tank farm, this could possibly be a brand new check stand to assist the event of the corporate’s Clipper program, which goals to be a reusable second stage for New Glenn. Additionally it is potential that the realm could also be associated to Blue’s lunar lander program, as there are two variants of the Blue Moon lander — MK1 and MK2.
Two check tanks have been noticed at LC-36 up to now few years. The primary was known as Venture Jarvis. The tank sat on a easy mount constructed close to the liquid hydrogen tank farm. The second tank additionally sat on this stand, nonetheless, the tank itself had a extra refined look in addition to featured what gave the impression to be a header tank on its ahead finish. 5 tents have been constructed on the northwest nook of LC-36 to assist the event of those tanks, though no new articles have been noticed in almost a yr.
A New Glenn second-stage tank contained in the 2CAT facility. (Credit score: Max Evans for NSF)
Simply 14 kilometers away from LC-36, Blue Origin’s Exploration Park campus hosts a number of New Glenn automobiles at present in manufacturing as the corporate builds out its preliminary fleet of rockets. In keeping with Blue Origin, three higher levels have been accomplished and three extra are at present in manufacturing. A New Glenn second stage was just lately noticed inside the corporate’s 2nd Stage Tank Cleansing and Check (2CAT) Facility, one other signal that Blue is working forward to construct up a fleet of rockets to hit the bottom operating as soon as it begins launching.
The footprint of Blue Origin’s amenities at Exploration Park, positioned simply exterior of Kennedy House Heart, continues to develop as foundations for a brand new constructing are at present beneath development. In keeping with planning paperwork from 2022, the construction that might be positioned close to the corporate’s warehouse will cowl almost 18,000 sq. meters and have a peak starting from 10 to 41 meters. The paperwork check with the constructing as a Composite Meeting Constructing. Blue Origin initially aimed to have this facility full in 2023, nonetheless, the development was possible deprioritized in favor of different tasks.
Originally of February, Blue Origin efficiently fired a BE-4 engine on the historic Check Stand 4670 positioned inside NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Heart. The check stand, which is now able to supporting firings of each BE-4 and BE-3U engines, is conveniently positioned simply 12 kilometers from Blue Origin’s Huntsville, Alabama, engine manufacturing unit, which opened in 2020.
One key distinction that 4670 has in comparison with the prevailing BE-4 check stands at Blue Origin’s amenities in West Texas is that the engines listed below are fired in a vertical orientation, not horizontally. This makes the power a vital a part of the testing circulate for New Glenn’s propulsion system and is a key participant in bringing the orbital rocket on-line in time to satisfy the corporate’s targets.
(Lead picture: The New Glenn pathfinder at LC-36 following its first cryo check. Credit score: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
