New Glenn second stage completes successful hotfire test ahead of November launch

Written by Copernical Team Wednesday, 25 September 2024 13:17

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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 25, 2024

Blue Origin's New Glenn second stage (GS2) successfully completed a critical hotfire test Tuesday, marking a key step toward its first flight, set for November from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36. The NG-1 mission will carry Blue Ring technology as its first payload. The 15-second hotfire test was the first time the vehicle operated as a fully integrated system. This test was conducted

New Glenn second stage completes successful hotfire test ahead of November launch
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 25, 2024

Blue Origin's New Glenn second stage (GS2) successfully completed a critical hotfire test Tuesday, marking a key step toward its first flight, set for November from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36. The NG-1 mission will carry Blue Ring technology as its first payload.

The 15-second hotfire test was the first time the vehicle operated as a fully integrated system. This test was conducted to ensure the proper interaction of subsystems on the second stage, including its two BE-3U engines and the ground control systems.

The test also demonstrated three essential systems: the tank pressurization control system, which uses helium to pressurize the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks; the thrust vector control system, which steers the rocket using engine gimbaling; and the start-up and shutdown sequences of the BE-3U engines, which can be restarted multiple times during a mission.

In addition to hardware testing, this hotfire was a valuable opportunity for the launch operations team to practice procedures and verify the timing of key launch day activities.

New Glenn's second stage is designed for high-energy missions to low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geosynchronous orbit (GEO). Standing 88 feet tall with a 23-foot diameter, it features two BE-3U engines with an expander bleed design that optimizes performance in thrust and cost. Each engine, initially rated for 160,000 lbf of thrust, will operate at 173,000 lbf during the NG-1 mission, making them among the highest thrust-to-weight hydrogen engines ever used.

The full New Glenn rocket stands over 320 feet tall. Its first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines, the most powerful liquefied natural gas-fueled, oxygen-rich staged combustion engines ever flown. Alongside the BE-4 and BE-3U engines, Blue Origin also produces BE-7 engines for its Blue Moon lunar landers and the BE-3PM engines for its New Shepard vehicles.