Blue Origin is increasing its Kennedy House Heart and Cape Canaveral footprint on a number of fronts, from a brand new Merritt Island take a look at website and Rocket Park manufacturing buildings to the rebuild of Launch Advanced 36 and early work on close by processing services.
NSF’s newest House Coast flyover captured that progress in sequence, as the corporate ramps as much as its proposed launch and manufacturing cadence.
MILA Stage 2 Take a look at Website
Following the information that SpaceX is working towards rocket take a look at stands on the Kennedy House Heart, Blue Origin can be working by itself second stage take a look at stand near its campus.
A couple of weeks in the past, Blue Origin filed documentation referring to the development of a set of lightning safety towers on the website. The corporate then filed related documentation for a set of cranes and aerial work platforms to assist assemble the infrastructure.
Within the newest doc, the corporate referred to the location because the “MILA take a look at website,” with MILA standing for Merritt Island Launch Space, the technical title for the world the place the Kennedy House Heart is situated.
Through the flyover, groundwork was already underway on the website, together with tanks that had been delivered to the world.
Whereas it’s nonetheless not identified precisely what sort of testing this facility will help, it’s actually too near populated areas for first stage New Glenn testing. Nonetheless, it might probably be far sufficient away for second stage New Glenn testing.
Since that paperwork was filed, Blue Origin has publicly introduced that the corporate is taking on the historic B-2 take a look at cell at NASA’s Stennis House Heart for second stage testing, with {hardware} already making its means there.
A couple of days in the past, NASA’s Pegasus barge arrived to unload Artemis {hardware} earlier than being loaded with a GS2 transporter.
After delivering the boattail for SLS (Artemis IV), the Pegasus Barge is being loaded with the Blue Origin {hardware} for the return voyage. pic.twitter.com/p78KsQ4ggg
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) August 31, 2026
If Blue Origin can be finishing up sizzling hearth testing at Stennis, that leaves an open query about what the MILA website can be used for. It might probably be used for testing second phases with cryogenic propellants with out truly firing the engines.
It is also used to develop the corporate’s testing capabilities by offering a second sizzling hearth take a look at website that may complement Stennis and help an elevated launch cadence. The precise function has not but been confirmed.
What is understood is that extra GS2 {hardware} has been noticed on the transfer in latest weeks, and it was seen once more throughout this flyover.
A big gray construction is the GS2 service construction, which was beforehand used at Launch Advanced 36 to connect with the GS2 and help sizzling hearth exams on the pad.
With the pad at the moment present process repairs, it’s clear why the testing {hardware} is now transferring to Stennis.
The construction was transported by barge from one aspect of the House Coast to the opposite due to its huge dimension. It’s not clear why it’s at the moment sitting on this aspect of the Banana River, however it will not be shocking whether it is supposed to be used at this new take a look at website.
The construction was additionally accompanied by one of many solely two remaining Ares I launch mounts.
These have been constructed for Cell Launcher 1 and, after the cancellation of the Constellation program, have been later eliminated and positioned into storage at Launch Advanced 12, which Blue Origin now operates. It’s not clear the place one among these can be wanted, however it could even be associated to GS2 testing.
Blue Origin additionally lately delivered a few giant cryogenic tanks to its Rocket Park campus, which might probably be associated to the identical effort.
Rocket Park Growth
Whereas that preparation work is underway for future testing, Blue Origin can be getting ready to extend its launch cadence by establishing new buildings that may assist help that aim. A minimum of 4 areas throughout Blue’s Rocket Park at the moment are in numerous phases of development.
Within the far south, groups are engaged on a significant second stage manufacturing enlargement nicknamed “Challenge Horizon.” The constructing continues to be on the basis stage, however the huge footprint it can have as soon as development is full is already seen.
One other space earmarked for future development is immediately north of Blue’s Lunar Plant 1.
Land clearance has been underway there, and older documentation indicated that the location was deliberate to host a collection of buildings for metallic forming, part storage, and {hardware} integration.
Straight east of this space is the lately accomplished {Hardware} Integration Facility, which is believed to be supposed for future GS2 {hardware}.
A brand new, a lot taller extension is now being added to the southern finish of the constructing, maybe to permit automobiles to be rotated from horizontal to vertical, and vice versa.
The fourth space of development is immediately west of Lunar Plant 1, the place a brand new constructing has been constructed alongside the present Upkeep Help Facility.
Documentation from final yr means that this new addition can be used to retailer phases ready to fly earlier than they’re moved out for integration and launch.
Launch Advanced 36
Wanting towards the way forward for their launch advanced, Blue Origin has now shared renders exhibiting what Launch Advanced 36A and Launch Advanced 36B are anticipated to appear to be as soon as development is full, giving a a lot clearer concept of how the 2 pads will finally come collectively.
Launch Advanced 36A would be the pad designed to help New Glenn 7×2, the present model of the rocket, that includes seven engines on Stage 1 and two engines on Stage 2.
Launch Advanced 36B, then again, can be constructed from the outset to help New Glenn 9×4, which options two further engines on each phases. The renders additionally present the pad supporting vertical integration utilizing two stacking arms hooked up to the launch tower.
It is a very related association to what’s seen on Starship’s launch pads, and it shouldn’t come as a shock on condition that Blue Origin additionally plans to launch at scale. Different design decisions seen within the renders additionally counsel that Blue Origin desires to make launches extra environment friendly with the newer model of New Glenn.
Development at Launch Advanced 36B continues to be progressing, with sheet piles seen protruding of the bottom across the website.
These permit crews to excavate deeper into the bottom whereas stopping the encompassing soil from collapsing inward, all as a part of the inspiration work for the brand new pad.
Over on the neighboring Launch Advanced 36A, the broken nook of the tower has now been eliminated.
The explosion, which occurred greater than three months in the past, toppled the lightning safety tower and severely broken the help tower.
To permit repairs to every part to proceed in parallel, Blue Origin dismantled the help tower, though the corporate initially left what was arguably probably the most closely broken part in place.
That part has now been eliminated, as anticipated. Three of the tower sections have been seen on the pad through the flyover as they’re repaired in preparation for the tower to be stacked as soon as once more.
When it returns, the tower may have a way more vital function, changing the strongback’s perform of carrying the commodity, electrical, and knowledge traces as much as the second stage and fairing.
On Friday, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp supplied an extra replace on that work. Limp stated the workforce has been transporting all modules that have been faraway from the Car Entry Tower again to the pad to arrange for restacking.
The workforce has been busy transporting all modules that have been faraway from the Car Entry Tower again to the pad to arrange for re-stacking. We designed and put in flooring, pneumatics and electrical panels, and spine piping on the modules. And we're transferring the elevator to the… pic.twitter.com/cutmvHE8FG
— Dave Limp (@davill) September 4, 2026
The corporate designed and put in flooring, pneumatics and electrical panels, and spine piping on the modules. Blue Origin can be transferring the elevator to the aspect of the Car Entry Tower, releasing up considerably extra flooring entry for the corporate’s new idea of operations.
“Forward of Labor Day, I wish to thank all of Workforce Blue on your exhausting work and provides a shoutout to the workforce on the pad for his or her dedication to our return to flight,” Limp wrote.
The water tower was additionally caught within the blast through the explosion in Could and is present process repairs as anticipated.
In the meantime, the launch bridge has been faraway from the pad and is now being repaired. It was a big effort to get that big concrete slab out of the best way, and Blue Origin seems to have managed to take away it in a single piece. The corporate desires to reuse as a lot of the present {hardware} as potential to hurry up the return to flight.
Down the ramp on the hangar, formally referred to as the Horizontal Integration Facility, set up of the brand new doorways is continuous.
These have been broken by the immense stress launched by GS1 “No It’s Essential” again in Could.
Launch Advanced 11
Simply to the north of LC-36 is Launch Advanced 11, though a part of what was Launch Advanced 11 is now additionally a part of LC-36B.
The areas that aren’t a part of LC-36B have been used as a storage and take a look at website for a while. Beforehand, the location held the tents for Blue Origin’s Clipper reusable second stage program, however these have been eliminated following New Glenn’s explosion.
Since then, the world has been used to check new stacking strategies for New Glenn 7×2 whereas repairs proceed at LC-36A. Blue Origin used a take a look at fairing and a Stage 2 simulator to rehearse these operations.
Through the flyover, the Stage 2 simulator was nonetheless at LC-11, whereas the fairing had already returned to an space close to the HIF.
Additional north, what seems to be a Blue Moon Mark 1 container is seen on the Blue Moon take a look at stand.
It’s troublesome to inform for sure, nevertheless it additionally seems to be the identical container that protected Mark 1 SN1, Endurance, throughout its journey to the Johnson House Heart for testing earlier this yr. The precise function of the container at this stand has not but been confirmed.
Payload Processing Facility and Vertical Integration Facility
As a part of Blue Origin’s announcement exhibiting the deliberate association of Launch Advanced 36A and Launch Advanced 36B, the corporate additionally gave its first correct take a look at what its new Vertical Integration Facility is anticipated to appear to be.
The ability has been identified about for a while because of the documentation Blue Origin has filed for it, though it was initially known as a Vertical Refurbishment Facility.
NSF’s Julia Bergeron additionally managed to identify development work for the ability from exterior the House Power base. Given the dimensions of the constructing, it isn’t precisely straightforward to overlook. Meeting of the Vertical Refurbishment Facility continues.
Situated simply north of the skid strip, the ability sits just a few miles west of Launch Advanced 36 and simply exterior the blast hazard space.
That places it at a helpful distance from the launch pads, permitting Blue Origin to hold out rocket refurbishment and integration earlier than transporting the automobiles to the pad.
The ability will finally help the vertical integration and refurbishment of 9×4 boosters, that are huge, roughly the identical peak as a Tremendous Heavy.
Extra lately, documentation additionally appeared for a Payload Processing Facility to the south of the skid strip.
This previous week, Blue Origin launched renders exhibiting what that facility is anticipated to appear to be. The corporate has additionally damaged floor on the website, as seen within the flyover footage, marking the start of development on the brand new constructing after land clearing bought underway.
Just like the Vertical Integration Facility, the Payload Processing Facility is shut sufficient to Launch Advanced 36 that Blue Origin shouldn’t want a prolonged highway closure to maneuver payloads between the 2 places or disrupt half of the roads main into the bottom. It is going to successfully be proper subsequent door to the launch advanced.
And it might grow to be much more handy if Blue Origin manages to take over Launch Advanced 46 for New Glenn.
Earlier this yr, the House Power put the location up for lease to help a super-heavy-lift launch car, and it sits immediately alongside Blue Origin’s Launch Advanced 36.
The corporate has not formally introduced plans for LC-46, however latest documentation means that demolition work has been going down on the website with Blue Origin listed because the sponsor, indicating that the corporate could also be thinking about clearing away the previous infrastructure.
A few of that {hardware} dates again many years, from when the location supported Military and Navy exams, in addition to launches of automobiles similar to Minotaur IV and Astra’s Rocket 3.
If Blue Origin could make Launch Advanced 46 its personal as nicely, these close by services might grow to be much more vital, and the House Coast might find yourself seeing much more New Glenn launches than it in any other case would.
Cidco Street
Cidco Street was SpaceX’s authentic Starship growth website in Florida, again within the early days of this system. On the time, the corporate was racing Boca Chica, because it was then identified, to construct the primary prototypes of Starship, with MK1 at Starbase and MK2 in Florida.
SpaceX deserted the location final yr, and Blue Origin took over the ability earlier this yr. Regardless of solely transferring in comparatively lately, the corporate has already left its mark on the place, with a number of of the buildings being repainted with blue accents.
Blue Origin seems to have been utilizing the world to retailer entry scaffolding and related buildings open air, seemingly as a brief storage space whereas work continues elsewhere throughout the Cape.
With all of the completely different services the corporate is establishing, it’s a signal that Blue Origin intends to maintain increasing, even when it can not fairly launch its rockets in the meanwhile.
Featured Picture: Blue Origin’s Cape Campus (Credit score: Max Evans, NSF/L2 – 100s of hi-res pictures from a whole lot of NSF flyovers over many websites and a few years accessible to obtain for all L2 members).
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