Blue Origin today announced New Glenn has been selected for 12 launches, with options for up to 15 additional launches to deploy Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite constellation. Project Kuiper’s constellation of 3,236 advanced satellites aims to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband service globally. The launches are manifested for a five-year period from Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which Blue Origin has rebuilt from the ground up.
“We’re honored to support Amazon’s ambitious mission to provide reliable, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world through New Glenn and our BE-4 engines,” said Jarrett Jones, Senior Vice President, New Glenn, Blue Origin. “New Glenn’s massive seven-meter fairing offers unprecedented mass and volume capabilities, and provides Project Kuiper maximum launch flexibility. We also congratulate our partner, United Launch Alliance, who was also selected today by Amazon to support Project Kuiper. We’re proud to build American-made engines for ULA’s Vulcan Centaur.”
New Glenn is a heavy-lift launch vehicle specifically suited to lift significant mass and volume to low Earth orbit (LEO). Its seven-meter fairing enables twice the payload volume of any five-meter class commercial launch system, and its reusable first stage is built for a minimum of 25 missions.
New Glenn is powered by seven BE-4 engines and is capable of launching more than 13 metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and 45 metric tons to LEO. The BE-4 is the nation’s first reusable, oxidizer-rich staged combustion booster engine using liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In addition to Project Kuiper, New Glenn is also manifested to carry payloads for three of the six largest satellite operators in the world: Eutelsat, JSAT, and Telesat. NASA previously selected New Glenn for its launch services catalog, approving the rocket to compete for NASA’s advanced science and exploration missions.
For more information on New Glenn or to stay up to date on our other programs, visit BlueOrigin.com. For more information about Project Kuiper’s announcement today, read Amazon’s press release.
Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He is also the editor, producer and administrator of STM Daily News, a part of the TNC Network.
