Blue Origin Unveils More Powerful Version of New Glenn Rocket
Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, has announced plans to build a larger and more powerful version of its New Glenn rocket. The new model, named New Glenn 9×4, will form part of a future family of orbital launchers designed to rival the Falcon series by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
A Stronger Rocket Design
The New Glenn 9×4 takes its name from the nine engines on its first stage and four on its second stage — an increase of two engines per stage compared with the current design. Blue Origin described the new variant as a “super-heavy class rocket,” marking the next major step in the New Glenn roadmap. The upgrade aims to boost the rocket’s lifting capacity and flexibility for various mission profiles.
Future Plans and Capabilities
While Blue Origin has not provided a launch date for the 9×4, the company said its design builds on the existing 7×2 version, allowing for faster development. Both versions will operate at the same time, offering customers more options for satellite launches, lunar missions, deep space exploration, and national security projects such as the Golden Dome programme.
Competing in a Growing Market
The US launch industry is becoming increasingly competitive. Companies such as SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and United Launch Alliance are developing larger rockets to support expanding satellite constellations. Blue Origin, which has already spent billions and nearly a decade developing New Glenn, aims to challenge SpaceX’s Falcon and Starship rockets in this race.
Blue Origin’s CEO, Dave Limp, shared digital renderings of the new rocket on X, showing the towering 9×4 standing even taller than NASA’s historic Saturn V, the rocket that once sent humans to the moon. The 9×4 design includes a larger payload fairing and appears significantly taller than the current New Glenn model.
with inputs from Reuters