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Multiple sources said a more realistic timeline for Blue Origin to rebuild its pad and launch from there is 12 to 18 months. If this were to occur, it would significantly set back NASA and its Artemis Program, which is relying on the New Glenn rocket and Blue Moon lander for both cargo and eventually crewed missions to the lunar surface. But Blue Origin does have some important advantages. During a visit to the company last Friday, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told Limp and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos that he is “all in” on supporting the company’s efforts. So, too, is the US Space For
Blue Origin has set a very aggressive return-to-flight timeline… Sources have told Ars that Bezos, 62, has grown fatigued from self-funding Blue Origin. Nearly a decade ago, in 2017, he hired Bob Smith to run Blue Origin with the goal of growing Blue Origin to a large space company and becoming self-sufficient on government and commercial contracts. …
… Historically, Blue Origin has not operated in such a rushed manner, either. What’s a realistic timeline? Multiple sources said a more realistic timeline for Blue Origin to rebuild its pad and launch from there is 12 to 18 months. …
… Tory Bruno, the president of national security for Blue Origin, indicated on the social media site X that the next flight of New Glenn could carry the company’s “Blue Ring” spacecraft. “She’s in final build now for a flight this year,” Bruno said Wednesday of the spacecraft. …
… Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket was supposed to launch the company’s first lunar lander, Blue Moon Mark 1, some time this fall. The Blue Moon test mission is an important precursor for Blue Origin’s future human-rated Moon lander for the Artemis program, and NASA is eager to see it fly. …
… With sunrise on Friday teams from Blue Origin, the US Space Force, and NASA will be able to begin more thoroughly assessing the damage to Blue Origin’s facilities and begin picking up pieces of the rocket. pic.twitter.com/EfYn4QWW9M — Nick Johnson @NickJohnson315 May 29, 2026 Metaphorically, the ef… …
… He noted that officials from the US Space Force have also been deeply involved in Blue Origin’s planning and work since an anomaly during a test firing took out New Glenn’s only operational launch pad on May 28. NASA has a significant stake in Blue Origin’s return to flight. …
… Blue Origin also designed its launch pad at LC-36A long before the final specs for the New Glenn rocket were complete. Muratore said Blue Origin started poaching SpaceX employees to work on its Florida pad even before SpaceX completed the SLC-40 rebuild nearly a decade ago. …
… Better real estate… The new pad would replace Launch Complex 46, which lies within the explosive clear zone of Blue Origin’s nearby Launch Complex 36. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on that launch pad during a preflight test last month. …
… Blue Origin announces two-pad plan . In May, the explosion of New Glenn’s rocket took out Launch Complex 36A at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. In the weeks after the anomaly, Blue Origin outlined plans to restore that pad for New Glenn operations as soon as possible. …
… Far-reaching consequences… This is the worst disaster in the history of Blue Origin, founded in 2000. …