We're not rebuilding the same pad for New Glenn. We're moving to a horizontal/vertical hybrid configuration to get us flying again this year at 36A. We were already working on something similar for 9x4 at 36B. Let me explain what that means. We mate the stages horizontally in the Integration Facility (IF). Then we bring the integrated vehicle out to the pad, use a crane to perform the vertical breakover, and mate the payload once New Glenn is vertical. This new ConOps has the added benefit of increasing our flight cadence as well.
Incredible work by our Launch Operations team with assembling our Sarens 8800. Our prefab weldments are ready to receive the VAT modules!
This @blueorigin team is redefining physics based planning!! I’m so proud of each of you!
600+ feet of crane assembled incredibly fast by the team. We will start pulling down the tower (segment by segment) so we can modify each piece in parallel.
Had a very productive meeting this week with @BlueOrigin CEO, Dave Limp.
Their Huntsville facility is playing a major role in our mission to return to the moon—and travel further than ever before.
The entire company has come together unified in the mission to safely return to flight. Mobilizing 24/7 operations at Pad 36a 48 hours post anomaly and completing wreakage cleanup in 9 days is world class.
Thank you to everyone involved!! Keep up the amazing work.
@blueorigin
One week later, incredible progress. It’s a 24/7 operation with a solid path forward to launch this year, helped by a lot of luck. @NASA and @USSpaceForce have both been extremely helpful.
This team. Never tell them the odds.
We go where we need to be, and today that was @NASAKennedy.
Some of my senior engineers and I spent time at @blueorigin with @JeffBezos and @davill, speaking with the workforce and seeing the damage at LC-36 firsthand. I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from those working through the aftermath and better understand the challenges ahead.
There is a lot of work to do, but this is exactly why people choose careers in aerospace, whether at NASA, Blue Origin, or across the industry. The talent in this field thrives under pressure and performs at its best when solving the toughest problems.
We have been saying for months at NASA that we are not going to sit on our hands and wait for the capabilities necessary to achieve the nation’s most pressing objectives. We are going to take an active role alongside our partners, just as we did in the 1960s, to overcome setbacks, remove obstacles, and deliver the intended outcomes.
@NASA is committed to helping the Blue team recover, continue to advance their lunar lander and get New Glenn back to launching as soon as safely possible.
America’s greatest achievements in space were never the result of avoiding setbacks. They came from overcoming them. We have done it before, and we will do it again🇺🇸
A full-scale prototype of the crew cabin of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 crew lander is now operational for training and testing at @nasa_johnson!
Read how we will be using this crew cabin for simulations to prepare for future Artemis missions >> https://t.co/Lo5tcckxUT
Demonstrating VIPER's path from lander to lunar surface 🌕
We completed a critical demonstration of our offloader mechanism, using rotating arms and cables to safely lower a VIPER mass simulator from the top of Blue Moon MK1's forward module to the lunar surface.
Key achievements included:
✅ Full deployment sequence with davit arms under load
✅ Winch cable system maintaining robust control throughout the full lowering sequence
✅ Performance across roll and pitch slopes up to 10°
✅ Clearances and mechanical interfaces
Next up: critical design review and further development testing.
Future lunar landings are taking shape right here at Johnson Space Center. 🌕
Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander recently completed environmental testing at @NASA's Johnson Space Center, preparing it to withstand the harsh, airless conditions modeling the vacuum of space and the extreme temperature conditions the spacecraft would experience during flight. Each test brings us closer to delivering science and technology to the Moon through @NASAArtemis. https://t.co/FduvZADHJW
The administration and @NASAAdmin are moving with purpose and urgency on America's return to the Moon. Team Blue is proud to support this commitment. Moon — here we come!