Blue Origin Will Make Its New Glenn Rocket Even Larger to Rival SpaceX

Following the success of New Glenn’s second take a look at flight, Blue Origin introduced a super-heavy variant of its rocket that might compete with SpaceX’s Starship.

Jeff Bezos’ rocket firm unveiled the brand new design for its rocket, named New Glenn 9×4 for the variety of engines it boasts on the booster and higher stage. That’s a rise of two engines for every stage from New Glenn’s present design, which options seven engines on the booster and two on the higher stage.

“The subsequent chapter in New Glenn’s roadmap is a brand new super-heavy class rocket,” Blue Origin wrote in an announcement. The corporate just lately launched New Glenn for its second mission, sending NASA’s ESCAPADE mission on its solution to Mars. Though Blue Origin didn’t specify when it will begin launching the bigger variant of New Glenn, the rocket has a packed schedule for 2026 and 2027.

Onto larger issues

Blue Origin debuted its New Glenn rocket in January after years of delays. The rocket’s inaugural flight didn’t go so easily, with the corporate failing to get well the booster throughout its descent. An investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration laid out seven corrective measures for the rocket to fly once more, and its second mission was a significant success for the corporate.

Now, Blue Origin is specializing in going larger. Outfitted with 9 engines on the booster and 4 on the higher stage, the added thrust will permit the brand new New Glenn to raise greater than 70 metric tons to low-Earth orbit, over 14 metric tons on to geosynchronous orbit, and over 20 metric tons to trans-lunar injection. That’s manner beneath Starship’s functionality of carrying as much as 150 metric tons to low Earth orbit, nevertheless it’s a strong launch car nonetheless.

The upgraded New Glenn can even function a bigger 28.5-foot (8.7-meter) fairing to permit for larger payloads. “Each automobiles: 9×4 and our present variant, 7×2, will serve the market concurrently, giving prospects extra launch choices for his or her missions, together with mega-constellations, lunar and deep house exploration, and nationwide safety imperatives reminiscent of Golden Dome,” Blue Origin wrote.

Since you requested… pic.twitter.com/HRbQjRpHWC

— Dave Limp (@davill) November 20, 2025

Dave Limp, Blue Origin’s CEO, posted an illustration of the upgraded New Glenn standing taller subsequent to the Saturn V rocket that was used to launch astronauts to the Moon as a part of NASA’s Apollo program. New Glenn 9×4 additionally seems a lot bigger than its predecessor.

The success of New Glenn’s second flight proved the rocket’s worthiness within the orbital launch recreation. With the super-heavy variant of its New Glenn rocket, Blue Origin will have the ability to compete with SpaceX on a good bigger scale.