Fresh off a completely successful second flight of its new mega rocket, Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin has just revealed designs for an even larger version of the launch system. The new-look New Glenn will be even taller than the historic Saturn V rocket and on par with SpaceX’s Starship.
This super-heavy version of New Glenn will feature nine of the company’s rocket engines on the booster stage, and four on the upper stage. That’s up from seven and two, respectively, on the current version, which Blue Origin says will continue to fly alongside the super-heavy variant. Blue Origin is now referring to the two versions as New Glenn 9×4 and New Glenn 7×2.
That added firepower will increase the New Glenn booster’s total thrust and allow it to carry “over 70 metric tons to low-Earth orbit,” slightly below Starship’s current theoretical capacity of 100 metric tons. SpaceX is working on new versions of Starship that could double that figure.
The larger New Glenn will feature a much larger fairing (the forward-facing shield that covers the rocket’s payload) to allow bigger payloads at the top of the rocket. The added capability will put Blue Origin in play for missions centered around “mega-constellations, lunar and deep space explorations, and national security imperatives such as Golden Dome.”
Blue Origin is currently competing with SpaceX to help with NASA missions to the Moon, and the company is clearly teasing this capability in the rendering it released of New Glenn 9×4 on Thursday.
The illustration shows a theoretical view from the ground looking up at the new super-heavy rocket shortly after takeoff. Above the rocket, appearing larger-than-usual? The Moon.
The 7×2 version of New Glenn received some updates on Thursday as well. Its total thrust has increased, and it will now feature reusable fairings. Other smaller upgrades were made in order to reduce the turnaround time between launches, according to Blue Origin.
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The company hasn’t set a date for the next launch yet, but right now it appears to be penciled in for early 2026. According to CEO Dave Limp, Blue Origin may soon try to launch and land its uncrewed Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander to the Moon.