“They’re making great strides,” Isaacman said of Blue Origin. “So plan A is still to launch Mk. 1 at New Glenn. They are very committed to getting back in the business of launching New Glenn before the end of the year. And plan A looks much better today than it did weeks ago, based solely on the progress the Blue Origin team is making.”
NASA analyzes its options
However, he added that prudence requires that NASA also study alternative launch vehicles for the Endurance mission, as well as Blue Origin’s lander for Artemis III. Options include SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy or United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rockets.
That’s why NASA is closely watching Blue’s recovery. Isaacman said he receives daily updates from his team.
“We have until 2027 before we get nervous,” Isaacman said. “If we start tracking around mid-2027, that will have implications for the Artemis III mission and for unmanned landers, and that would be more concerning.”
Cranes enter the scene
Also on Wednesday, Limp provided additional information about the company’s plans to fly again.
“We continue to actively investigate the cause of the anomaly,” he wrote. “The vehicle is highly equipped with extensive data from multiple camera angles and sensors, giving us confidence in our ability to identify and correct the root cause. Early analyzes point to the aft section of the first stage.”
During the test anomaly, Blue Origin lost the beam tower at its launch site, as well as the massive transporter-erector, which moved the rocket from a nearby integration hangar to the launch site and lifted it vertically for liftoff.
To speed the return to flight, Limp said, the company is not rebuilding the same platform and is skipping the construction of a new transporter-erector (which would take a long time). The company released a video showing how their engineers envision this process working. It involves using a crane to lift the integrated first and second stages to the launch stand. Once there, and after pre-flight testing, a payload fairing would be placed on top of the vehicle before launch.
Isaacman praised Blue Origin for this transparency as it moves toward a return to flight, noting the broad interest within the space community in this issue.
