Blue Origin is making significant strides toward testing its New Glenn rocket, which is primarily crafted to effectively compete with SpaceX’s Falcon lineup. Armed with seven BE-4 engines, the New Glenn is gearing up for intensive fire tests to assess its capabilities and reliability.
The New Glenn, with its BE-4 engines generating 3.8 million pounds of thrust, presents more than double the power of SpaceX's Falcon 9, which produces 1.7 million pounds of thrust with its nine Merlin engines. The heavy-lift New Glenn is not only set to rival the Falcon 9 but is also positioned as significant competition for the Falcon Heavy, which boasts three boosters providing 5.1 million pounds of thrust.
Being constructed to be fully reusable, much like SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters, the New Glenn has recently undergone numerous ashore testing periods to hone its performance. This included communication checks, utilizing helicopters for aerial observation of the tests, showcasing their precision engineering and pre-launch academy.
Given its larger size, the New Glenn's initial booster landings are expected to be more complex than those of the Falcon 9’s platform landings. If Blue Origin successfully fulfills its ambition, the New Glenn will be the first heavy-lift vehicle capable of effectively landing on ships at sea, presenting another milestone achievement.
Despite the brisk development pace surrounding Blue Origin’s rocket, the company has reported busy months as it spent extensive time installing the BE-4 engines throughout October. With the engines capable of gimbal, they allow precise control during the rocket's ascent as well as during recovery aboard Blue Origin's designated recovery vessel named Jack.
The upcoming key fire test of the New Glenn rocket signifies the company’s ambition to solidify its footing within the competitive launch vehicle market, and excitement across the industry is palpable.
Meanwhile, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) has also been making headlines with its Vulcan Centaur rocket, which recently celebrated its successful second launch. Created to fulfil the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, the Vulcan rocket aims to provide launch services for the U.S. Space Force and various intelligence agency satellites.
Since its inception, ULA has strived to keep pace with competitors like SpaceX by ceasing its reliance on the Russian RD-180 engines due to geopolitical tensions. Its redesigned Vulcan began development back in 2014 and is primarily powered by two of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines, which ULA sources for its new heavy-lift endeavor.
Not only does the Vulcan playfully compete with the Falcon 9, but it was developed largely to mitigate the risk of becoming overly dependent on any one space launch provider, especially with the U.S. government ensuring strict competition remains inside the aerospace industry. ULA anticipates utilizing the Vulcan rocket to launch about 60% of the Space Force's national security missions through 2027, with SpaceX responsible for the remaining share.
One of the standout features of the Vulcan is its potential for reuse. Following the model set forth by SpaceX, ULA is exploring possibilities surrounding reusing the rocket's engines. The BE-4 engines represent approximately 65% of the cost associated with the launch process. If ULA effectively recovers and reuses these engines, it would significantly reduce launch costs and improve competitively against other providers.
There are ambitious plans to refine the Vulcan even more; ULA aims to recover the upper stages of the rocket, enabling them to undertake additional missions whilst maintaining their presence within orbit rather than returning to Earth. ULA CEO Tory Bruno envisions “a fleet” of Vulcan rockets stationed above, enhancing operational capacity around satellite missions, and strategically addressing national security concerns.
The achievements of both Blue Origin and ULA not only highlight impressive developments within the U.S. aerospace sector, but they also facilitate enhanced competition with companies like SpaceX, which has governed the launch sector over the past several years.
Meanwhile, overseas, significant progress is also being made by Chinese aerospace engineers. The Tianzhou-7 cargo ship recently separated from China’s space station, entering independent orbit to make way for its controlled atmospheric descent. Scheduled to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere soon, most components will dissipate upon re-entry, limiting debris and ensuring stable fall-off as the rest reaches pre-planned safe waters situated within the South Pacific.
The nation’s commitment to enhancing its space program exemplifies its increasing ambitions within the competitive international aerospace arena. Following the Tianzhou-7 mission, China is also anticipating the launch of Tianzhou-8, which has recently been postponingly impacted by natural disasters.
Overall, the race for space superiority seems poised for exciting developments. Observers of the aerospace sector should keep their eyes peeled as developments continue to accelerate within both American and International programs, presenting increased capabilities, enhanced technologies, and structural innovations set to deepen our exploration of outer space.