Blue Origin

[Beati Dogu]

Michoud is an impressively large place. They originally used to make thousands of landing craft (Higgins Boats) there during WW2.

I love how at Blue Origin they have a clamp holding the door closed in that photo above.

[Beati Dogu]

Blue Origin have wheeled out a New Glenn booster and taken it to their pad at Cape Canaveral.



Impressively large.

Although the engine section is shrouded, this looks like a real booster and not a mock up for fit tests.

[dukeboy749r]

If Blue Origin can nail a successful firing and launch, I can see NASA pivoting away from Space X and there ‘in orbit refuelling’ model

[Hill92]

dukeboy749r said:

If Blue Origin can nail a successful firing and launch, I can see NASA pivoting away from Space X and there ‘in orbit refuelling’ model

Isn't New Glenn closer to Falcon Heavy rather than Starship? And it sounds like Blue Origin will be pursuing a similar in orbit refuelling approach with their Project Jarvis fully reusable second stage.

[Beati Dogu]

Pretty much.They really need to show some progress with New Glenn and actually get it into orbit first.

The Blue Origin-lead Moon lander system will definitely need in-orbit refuelling. And that (as I understand it), will be in Moon orbit, not low Earth orbit.

Their Blue Moon lander will be powered by a BE-7 engine that uses LOX and liquid hydrogen, which is extremely cold and notoriously tricky to use at the best of times on Earth.

Either way, they're all going to have to work out with NASA how to refuel out there.

[Beati Dogu]

The New Glenn pathfinder rocket was taken out to its pad last week:



It's there for tanking and mechanical system tests:.



They intend to launch later this year.

Pics from Blue Origin.