Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is expected to fly again in 2026 despite last week's massive explosion during testing at the company's site in Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to CEO Dave Limp, more of the launchpad's infrastructure was intact than initially thought. Additionally, a previously flown booster stage and three upper stages "also look good."
The timeline for returning to flight is aggressive, with many industry experts predicting it would take at least until 2027. However, Blue Origin has stated that they will fly again before the end of this year. The company's second launchpad, which can support New Glenn, is still in early stages of construction.
Blue Origin's plans are significant because NASA relies on the New Glenn rocket for its Artemis missions to the moon. The company had shifted focus to supporting those missions and paused space tourism flights on its smaller New Shepard rocket. The first New Glenn launch took place in January 2025, but suffered a major failure when the booster stage exploded during recovery.
Blue Origin's CEO has confirmed that the company will change how it transports and stands up its rockets, but no details were provided about the new solution.
