Ars Live: What's the latest in the aftermath of the New Glenn catastrophe?
Summary
Nearly a month ago, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on its launch pad in Florida, destroying the pad itself. This accident has caused delays and raised questions about upcoming NASA missions and other customers relying on this rocket.Key Facts
- The New Glenn rocket exploded during a test at the Florida spaceport, creating a large fireball.
- The explosion destroyed Blue Origin’s only launch pad for New Glenn, called LC-36A.
- Blue Origin plans to return the rocket to flight from the same pad before the end of 2024, but many doubt this timeline.
- The failure affects NASA’s Artemis Program, which aims to land humans on the Moon.
- Other space companies and projects, like Amazon’s Project Leo and AST SpaceMobile, rely on New Glenn as a launch option.
- The cause of the failure likely involves a problem with New Glenn’s main engines, called BE-4.
- The BE-4 engines are also used by United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, raising concerns about its future.
- Blue Origin has not shared many details publicly about the cause of the explosion.
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