New Glenn’s Maiden Flight Approaches as Hardware Undergoes Testing

With flight hardware being tested, recovery rehearsals underway, and production facilities growing, Blue Origin is becoming a hive of more visible activity as the company rapidly approaches the first flight of its orbital class rocket, New Glenn.

Over the past few months, Blue Origin has performed many important tests of New Glenn hardware at Launch Complex 36 (LC-36). These are all important for gathering data before the rocket’s first flight.

In early July, retraction tests of the New Glenn transporter erector (TE) system were performed at LC-36. These tests involved the large TE pulling back from the vehicle and disconnecting umbilicals from the first and second stages. Blue completed these tests over just a few days before lowering the TE and the simulator stages back to horizontal and rolling them back inside the hangar.

Click here to read the full article.