Blue Origin apparently has big plans for its heavy-lift launch vehicle, hoping to significantly ramp up its production rate within the next few years.
The plans were revealed in a job opening posted on the company’s website, detailing the responsibilities of a prospective senior manager to oversee the production of New Glenn’s upper stage, Ars Technica reported. The job posting includes a rather ambitious timeline of increasing production from the current rate of 12 second stages per year to 60 by the third quarter of 2028. By 2029, Blue Origin wants to be able to produce 100 New Glenn upper stages a year.
That’s a lot of rockets for the Jeff Bezos-founded company, which has suffered multiple delays in getting New Glenn ready for liftoff. The rocket has flown three times since its debut in January 2025.
More rockets, please
Blue Origin’s job posting refers to tank fabrication for Quattro, an upgraded upper stage for the New Glenn rocket that will feature four BE-3U engines rather than the two currently being used to power the booster. The upcoming variant of New Glenn will also feature nine engines instead of seven on the rocket’s first stage.
The company plans on operating both versions of New Glenn simultaneously, with the upgraded variant more suited toward missions to the Moon and other deep space destinations.
New Glenn is designed to be partially reusable. The rocket’s first stage booster is designed to land on a droneship so that it can be refurbished and reused, while the upper stage is currently made to launch just once. The recently revealed production rate for New Glenn’s upper stage suggest Blue Origin is looking to increase the rocket’s launch cadence to 60 flights a year.
Aim high
Prior to its inaugural flight in 2025, New Glenn had been in development for over a decade but suffered multiple setbacks and delays due to technical issues. The rocket was supposed to debut in 2020, but the launch date slipped repeatedly. That led to NASA deciding to take its Mars ESCAPADE mission off New Glenn’s inaugural mission, ultimately concluding that the rocket would not be ready in time for the mission’s launch window.
New Glenn eventually launched NASA’s twin ESCAPADE Mars probes on November 13, 2025, during its second flight. For its third mission, however, things didn’t go as planned. The rocket was carrying AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite when it lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 19 but later suffered a malfunction and placed its payload in a lower orbit. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded New Glenn while Blue Origin investigates the mishap.
While Blue Origin is looking to solidify its rocket’s position in the heavy-lift vehicle market, there may still be a few more kinks to work out before it can prove its dependability to its customers. The projected production rate of New Glenn rockets, while aspirational, may just be a tad bit too ambitious at the moment.
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